Method for the detection and identification of methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus

ABSTRACT

The present invention describes novel SCCmec right extremity junction sequences for the detection of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). It relates to the use of these DNA sequences for diagnostic purposes.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/568,156, filed Sep. 11, 2019, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/707,421, filed Sep. 18, 2017, now U.S. Pat. No. 10,577,664, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/416,500, now U.S. Pat. No. 9,777,335, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/479,674, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,449,289, to Huletsky, et al., “SEQUENCES FOR DETECTION AND IDENTIFICATION OF METHICILLIN-RESISTANT STAPHYLOCOCCUS AUREUS,” filed Sep. 7, 2004 which is a National Phase Application of International Patent Application PCT/CA02/00824, filed Jun. 4, 2002, now closed, which claims priority to Canadian Patent Application No. 2,348,042, filed Jun. 4, 2001, now abandoned.

REFERENCE TO SEQUENCE LISTING, TABLE, OR COMPUTER PROGRAM LISTING

The present application is being filed along with a sequence listing in electronic format. The sequence listing is provided as a file entitled GENOM_051C4.TXT, created Oct. 9, 2020 which is 187 KB in size. The information in the electronic format of the sequence listing is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Clinical Significance of Staphylococcus aureus

The coagulase-positive species Staphylococcus aureus is well documented as a human opportunistic pathogen. Nosocomial infections caused by S. aureus are a major cause of morbidity and mortality. Some of the most common infections caused by S. aureus involve the skin, and they include furuncles or boils, cellulitis, impetigo, and postoperative wound infections at various sites. Some of the more serious infections produced by S. aureus are bacteremia, pneumonia, osteomyelitis, acute endocarditis, myocarditis, pericarditis, cerebritis, meningitis, scalded skin syndrome, and various abcesses. Food poisoning mediated by staphylococcal enterotoxins is another important syndrome associated with S. aureus. Toxic shock syndrome, a community-acquired disease, has also been attributed to infection or colonization with toxigenic S. aureus (Murray et al. Eds, 1999, Manual of Clinical Microbiology, 7^(th) Ed., ASM Press, Washington, D.C.).

Methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) emerged in the 1980s as a major clinical and epidemiologic problem in hospitals. MRSA are resistant to all β-lactams including penicillins, cephalosporins, carbapenems, and monobactams, which are the most commonly used antibiotics to cure S. aureus infections. MRSA infections can only be treated with more toxic and more costly antibiotics, which are normally used as the last line of defence. Since MRSA can spread easily from patient to patient via personnel, hospitals over the world are confronted with the problem to control MRSA. Consequently, there is a need to develop rapid and simple screening or diagnostic tests for detection and/or identification of MRSA to reduce its dissemination and improve the diagnosis and treatment of infected patients.

Methicillin resistance in S. aureus is unique in that it is due to acquisition of DNA from other coagulase-negative staphylococci (CNS), coding for a surnumerary β-lactam-resistant penicillin-binding protein (PBP), which takes over the biosynthetic functions of the normal PBPs when the cell is exposed to β-lactam antibiotics. S. aureus normally contains four PBPs, of which PBPs 1, 2 and 3 are essential. The low-affinity PBP in MRSA, termed PBP 2a (or PBP2′), is encoded by the choromosomal mecA gene and functions as a β-lactam-resistant transpeptidase. The mecA gene is absent from methicillin-sensitive S. aureus but is widely distributed among other species of staphylococci and is highly conserved (Ubukata et al., 1990, Antimicrob. Agents Chemother. 34:170-172).

By nucleotide sequence determination of the DNA region surrounding the mecA gene from S. aureus strain N315 (isolated in Japan in 1982), Hiramatsu et al. have found that the mecA gene is carried by a novel genetic element, designated staphylococcal cassette chromosome mec (SCCmec), inserted into the chromosome. SCCmec is a mobile genetic element characterized by the presence of terminal inverted and direct repeats, a set of site-specific recombinase genes (ccrA and ccrB), and the mecA gene complex (Ito et al., 1999, Antimicrob. Agents Chemother. 43:1449-1458; Katayama et al., 2000, Antimicrob. Agents Chemother. 44:1549-1555). The element is precisely excised from the chromosome of S. aureus strain N315 and integrates into a specific S. aureus chromosomal site in the same orientation through the function of a unique set of recombinase genes comprising ccrA and ccrB. Two novel genetic elements that shared similar structural features of SCCmec were found by cloning and sequencing the DNA region surrounding the mecA gene from MRSA strains NCTC 10442 (the first MRSA strain isolated in England in 1961) and 85/2082 (a strain from New Zealand isolated in 1985). The three SCCmec have been designated type I (NCTC 10442), type II (N315) and type III (85/2082) based on the year of isolation of the strains (Ito et al., 2001, Antimicrob. Agents Chemother. 45:1323-1336) (FIG. 1). Hiramatsu et al. have found that the SCCmec DNAs are integrated at a specific site in the methicillin-sensitive S. aureus (MSSA) chromosome. They characterized the nucleotide sequences of the regions around the left and right boundaries of SCCmec DNA (i.e. attL and attR, respectively) as well as those of the regions around the SCCmec DNA integration site (i.e. attBscc which is the bacterial chromosome attachment site for SCCmec DNA). The attBscc site was located at the 3′ end of a novel open reading frame (ORF), orfX. The orfX potentially encodes a 159-amino acid polypeptide sharing identity with some previously identified polypeptides, but of unknown function (Ito et al., 1999, Antimicrob. Agents Chemother. 43:1449-1458). Recently, a new type of SCCmec (type IV) has been described by both Hiramatsu et al. (Ma et al, 2002, Antimicrob. Agents Chemother. 46:1147-1152) and Oliveira et al. (Oliveira et al, 2001, Microb. Drug Resist. 7:349-360). The sequences of the right extremity of the new type IV SCCmec from S. aureus strains CA05 and 8/6-3P published by Hiramatsu et al. (Ma et al., 2002, Antimicrob. Agents Chemother. 46:1147-1152) were nearly identical over 2000 nucleotides to that of type II SCCmec of S. aureus strain N315 (Ito et al., 2001, Antimicrob. Agents Chemother. 45:1323-1336). No sequence at the right extremity of the SCCmec type IV is available from the S. aureus strains HDE288 and PL72 described by Oliveira et al. (Oliveira et al., 2001, Microb. Drug Resist. 7:349-360).

Previous methods used to detect and identify MRSA (Saito et al., 1995, J. Clin. Microbiol. 33:2498-2500; Ubukata et al., 1992, J. Clin. Microbiol. 30:1728-1733; Murakami et al., 1991, J. Clin. Microbiol. 29:2240-2244; Hiramatsu et al., 1992, Microbiol. Immunol. 36:445-453), which are based on the detection of the mecA gene and S. aureus-specific chromosomal sequences, encountered difficulty in discriminating MRSA from methicillin-resistant coagulase-negative staphylococci (CNS) because the mecA gene is widely distributed in both S. aureus and CNS species (Suzuki et al., 1992, Antimicrob. Agents. Chemother. 36:429-434). Hiramatsu et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 6,156,507) have described a PCR assay specific for MRSA by using primers that can specifically hybridize to the right extremities of the 3 types of SCCmec DNAs in combination with a primer specific to the S. aureus chromosome, which corresponds to the nucleotide sequence on the right side of the SCCmec integration site. Since nucleotide sequences surrounding the SCCmec integration site in other staphylococcal species (such as S. epidermidis and S. haemolyticus) are different from those found in S. aureus, this PCR assay was specific for the detection of MRSA. This PCR assay also supplied information for MREP typing (standing for «mec right extremity polymorphism») of SCCmec DNA (Ito et al., 2001, Antimicrob. Agents Chemother. 45:1323-1336; Hiramatsu et al., 1996, J. Infect. Chemother. 2:117-129). This typing method takes advantage of the polymorphism at the right extremity of SCCmec DNAs adjacent to the integration site among the three types of SCCmec. Type III has a unique nucleotide sequence while type II has an insertion of 102 nucleotides to the right terminus of SCCmec type I. The MREP typing method described by Hiramatsu et al. (Ito et al., 2001, Antimicrob. Agents Chemother. 45:1323-1336; Hiramatsu et al., 1996, J. Infect. Chemother. 2:117-129) defines the SCCmec type I as MREP type i, SCCmec type II as MREP type ii and SCCmec type III as MREP type iii. It should be noted that the MREP typing method cannot differentiate the new SCCmec type IV described by Hiramatsu et al. (Ma et al., 2002, Antimicrob. Agents Chemother. 46:1147-1152) from SCCmec type II because these two SCCmec types exhibit the same nucleotide sequence to the right extremity.

The set of primers described by Hiramatsu et al. as being the optimal primer combination (SEQ ID NOs.: 22, 24, 28 in U.S. Pat. No. 6,156,507 corresponding to SEQ ID NOs.: 56, 58 and 60, respectively, in the present invention) have been used in the present invention to test by PCR a variety of MRSA and MSSA strains (FIG. 1 and Table 1). Twenty of the 39 MRSA strains tested were not amplified by the Hiramatsu et al. multiplex PCR assay (Tables 2 and 3). Hiramitsu's method indeed was successful in detecting less than 50% of the tested 39 MRSA strains.

This finding demonstrates that some MRSA strains have sequences at the right extremity of SCCmec-chromosome right extremity junction different from those identified by Hiramatsu et al. Consequently, the system developed by Hiramatsu et al. does not allow the detection of all MRSA. The present invention relates to the generation of SCCmec-chromosome right extremity junction sequence data required to detect more MRSA strains in order to improve the Hiramatsu et al. assay. There is a need for developing more ubiquitous primers and probes for the detection of most MRSA strains around the world.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the present invention to provide a specific, ubiquitous and sensitive method using probes and/or amplification primers for determining the presence and/or amount of nucleic acids from all MRSA strains.

Ubiquity of at least 50% amongst the strains representing MRSA strains types IV to X is an objective of this invention.

Therefore, in accordance with the present invention is provided a method to detect the presence of a methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) strain in a sample, the MRSA strain being resistant because of the presence of an SCCmec insert containing a mecA gene, said SCCmec being inserted in bacterial nucleic acids thereby generating a polymorphic right extremity junction (MREJ), the method comprising the step of annealing the nucleic acids of the sample with a plurality of probes and/or primers, characterized by:

the primers and/or probes are specific for MRSA strains and capable of annealing with polymorphic MREJ nucleic acids, the polymorphic MREJ comprising MREJ types i to x; and

the primers and/or probes altogether can anneal with at least four MREJ types selected from MREJ types i to x.

In a specific embodiment, the primers and/or probes are all chosen to anneal under common annealing conditions, and even more specifically, they are placed altogether in the same physical enclosure.

A specific method has been developed using primers and/or probes having at least 10 nucleotides in length and capable of annealing with MREJ types i to iii, defined in any one of SEQ ID NOs: 1, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 41, 199; 2, 17, 18, 19, 26, 40, 173, 174, 175, 176, 177, 178, 179, 180, 181, 182, 183, 185, 186, 197; 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 104, 184, 198 and with one or more of MREJ types iv to ix, having SEQ ID NOs: 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 51; 47, 48, 49, 50; 171; 165, 166; 167; 168. To be perfectly ubiquitous with the all the sequenced MREJs, the primers and/or probes altogether can anneal with said SEQ ID NOs of MREJ types i to ix.

The following specific primers and/or probes having the following sequences have been designed:

66, 100, 101, 105, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 64, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 70, 103, 130, 132, 158, 159, 59, 62, 126, 127, 128, 129, 131, 200, 201, 60, 61, 63, 32, 83, 84, 160, 161, 162, 163, 164, 85, 86, 87, 88, 89, for the detection of MREJ type i

66, 97, 99, 100, 101, 106, 117, 118, 124, 125, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57 64, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 70, 103, 130, 132, 158, 159, 59, 62, 126, 127, 128, 129, 131, 200, 201, 60, 61, 63, 32, 83, 84, 160, 161, 162, 163, 164, 85, 86, 87, 88, 89 for the detection of MREJ type ii

67, 98, 102, 107, 108, 64, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 70, 103, 130, 132, 158, 159, 58, 59, 62, 126, 127, 128, 129, 131, 200, 201, 60, 61, 63, 32, 83, 84, 160, 161, 162, 163, 164, 85, 86, 87, 88, 89, for the detection of MREJ type iii

79, 77, 145, 147, 64, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 70, 103, 130, 132, 158, 159, 59, 62, 126, 127, 128, 129, 131, 200, 201, 60, 61, 63, 68, 32, 83, 84, 160, 161, 162, 163, 164, 85, 86, 87, 88, 89, for the detection of MREJ type iv

65, 80, 146, 154, 155, 64, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 70, 103, 130, 132, 158, 159, 59, 62, 126, 127, 128, 129, 131, 200, 201, 60, 61, 63, 32, 83, 84, 160, 161, 162, 163, 164, 85, 86, 87, 88, 89, for the detection of MREJ type v

202, 203, 204, 4, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 70, 103, 130, 132, 158, 159, 59, 62, 126, 127, 128, 129, 131, 200, 201, 60, 61, 63, 32, 83, 84, 160, 161, 162, 163, 164, 85, 86, 87, 88, 89, for the detection of MREJ type vi

112, 113, 114, 119, 120, 121, 122, 123, 150, 151, 153, 64, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 70, 103, 130, 132, 158, 159, 59, 62, 126, 127, 128, 129, 131, 200, 201, 60, 61, 63, 32, 83, 84, 160, 161, 162, 163, 164, 85, 86, 87, 88, 89, for the detection of MREJ type vii

115, 116, 187, 188, 207, 208, 64, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 70, 103, 130, 132, 158, 159

59, 62, 126, 127, 128, 129, 131, 200, 201, 60, 61, 63, 32, 83, 84, 160, 161, 162, 163, 164, 85, 86, 87, 88, 89, for the detection of MREJ type viii

109, 148, 149, 205, 206, 64, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 70, 103, 130, 132, 158, 159, 59, 62, 126, 127, 128, 129, 131, 200, 201, 60, 61, 63, 32, 83, 84, 160, 161, 162, 163, 164, 85, 86, 87, 88, 89, for the detection of MREJ type ix.

Amongst these, the following primer pairs having the following sequences are used:

64/66, 64/100, 64/101; 59/52, 59/53, 59/54, 59/55, 59/56, 59/57, 60/52, 60/53, 60/54, 60/55, 60/56, 60/57, 61/52, 61/53, 61/54, 61/55, 61/56, 61/57, 62/52, 62/53, 62/54, 62/55, 62/56, 62/57, 63/52, 63/53, 63/54, 63/55, 63/56, 63/57, for the detection of type i MREJ

64/66, 64/97, 64/99, 64/100, 64/101, 59/52, 59/53, 59/54, 59/55, 59/56, 59/57, 60/52, 60/53, 60/54, 60/55, 60/56, 60/57, 61/52, 61/53, 61/54, 61/55, 61/56, 61/57, 62/52, 62/53, 62/54, 62/55, 62/56, 62/57, 63/52, 63/53, 63/54, 63/55, 63/56, 63/57 for the detection of type ii MREJ

64/67, 64/98, 64/102; 59/58, 60/58, 61/58, 62/58, 63/58 for the detection of type iii MREJ

64/79 for the detection of type iv MREJ

64/80 for the detection of type v MREJ

64/204 for the detection of type vi MREJ

64/112, 64/113 for the detection of type vii MREJ

64/115, 64/116 for the detection of type viii MREJ

64/109 for the detection of type ix MREJ

As well, amongst these, the following probes having the following sequences are used:

SEQ ID NOs: 32, 83, 84, 160, 161, 162, 163, 164 for the detection of MREJ types i to ix.

In the most preferred embodied method, the following primers and/or probes having the following nucleotide sequences are used together. The preferred combinations make use of:

SEQ ID NOs: 64, 66, 84, 163, 164 for the detection of MREJ type i

SEQ ID NOs: 64, 66, 84, 163, 164 for the detection of MREJ type ii

SEQ ID NOs: 64, 67, 84, 163, 164 for the detection of MREJ type iii

SEQ ID NOs: 64, 79, 84, 163, 164 for the detection of MREJ type iv

SEQ ID NOs: 64, 80, 84, 163, 164 for the detection of MREJ type v

SEQ ID NOs: 64, 112, 84, 163, 164 for the detection of MREJ type vii.

All these probes and primers can even be used together in the same physical enclosure.

It is another object of this invention to provide a method for typing a MREJ of a MRSA strain, which comprises the steps of: reproducing the above method with primers and/or probes specific for a determined MREJ type, and detecting an annealed probe or primer as an indication of the presence of a determined MREJ type.

It is further another object of this invention to provide a nucleic acid selected from SEQ ID NOs:

SEQ ID NOs: 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 51 for sequence of MREJ type iv;

SEQ ID NOs: 47, 48, 49, 50 for sequence of MREJ type v;

SEQ ID NOs: 171 for sequence of MREJ type vi;

SEQ ID NOs: 165, 166 for sequence of MREJ type vii;

SEQ ID NOs: 167 for sequence of MREJ type viii;

SEQ ID NOs: 168 for sequence of MREJ type ix.

Oligonucleotides of at least 10 nucleotides in length which hybridize with any of these nucleic acids and which hybridize with one or more MREJ of types selected from iv to ix are also objects of this invention. Amongst these, primer pairs (or probes) having the following SEQ ID NOs:

64/66, 64/100, 64/101; 59/52, 59/53, 59/54, 59/55, 59/56, 59/57, 60/52, 60/53, 60/54, 60/55, 60/56, 60/57, 61/52, 61/53, 61/54, 61/55, 61/56, 61/57, 62/52, 62/53, 62/54, 62/55, 62/56, 62/57, 63/52, 63/53, 63/54, 63/55, 63/56, 63/57 for the detection of type i MREJ

64/66, 64/97, 64/99, 64/100, 64/101, 59/52, 59/53, 59/54, 59/55, 59/56, 59/57, 60/52, 60/53, 60/54, 60/55, 60/56, 60/57, 61/52, 61/53, 61/54, 61/55, 61/56, 61/57, 62/52, 62/53, 62/54, 62/55, 62/56, 62/57, 63/52, 63/53, 63/54, 63/55, 63/56, 63/57 for the detection of type ii MREJ

64/67, 64/98, 64/102; 59/58, 60/58, 61/58, 62/58, 63/58 for the detection of type iii MREJ

64/79 for the detection of type iv MREJ

64/80 for the detection of type v MREJ

64/204 for the detection of type vi MREJ

64/112, 64/113 for the detection of type vii MREJ

64/115, 64/116 for the detection of type viii MREJ

64/109 for the detection of type ix MREJ,

are also within the scope of this invention.

Further, internal probes having nucleotide sequences defined in any one of SEQ ID NOs: 32, 83, 84, 160, 161, 162, 163, 164, are also within the scope of this invention. Compositions of matter comprising the primers and/or probes annealing or hybridizing with one or more MREJ of types selected from iv to ix as well as with the above nucleic acids, comprising or not primers and/or probes, which hybridize with one or more MREJ of types selected from i to iii, are further objects of this invention. The preferred compositions would comprise the primers having the nucleotide sequences defined in SEQ ID NOs:

64/66, 64/100, 64/101; 59/52, 59/53, 59/54, 59/55, 59/56, 59/57, 60/52, 60/53, 60/54, 60/55, 60/56, 60/57, 61/52, 61/53, 61/54, 61/55, 61/56, 61/57, 62/52, 62/53, 62/54, 62/55, 62/56, 62/57, 63/52, 63/53, 63/54, 63/55, 63/56, 63/57, for the detection of type i MREJ

64/66, 64/97, 64/99, 64/100, 64/101, 59/52, 59/53, 59/54, 59/55, 59/56, 59/57, 60/52, 60/53, 60/54, 60/55, 60/56, 60/57, 61/52, 61/53, 61/54, 61/55, 61/56, 61/57, 62/52, 62/53, 62/54, 62/55, 62/56, 62/57, 63/52 63/53, 63/54, 63/55, 63/56, 63/57 for the detection of type ii MREJ

64/67, 64/98, 64/102; 59/58, 60/58, 61/58, 62/58, 63/58 for the detection of type iii MREJ

64/79 for the detection of type iv MREJ

64/80 for the detection of type v MREJ

64/204 for the detection of type vi MREJ

64/112, 64/113 for the detection of type vii MREJ

64/115, 64/116 for the detection of type viii MREJ

64/109 for the detection of type ix MREJ,

or probes, which SEQ ID NOs are: 32, 83, 84, 160, 161, 162, 163, 164, or both.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating the position of the primers developed by Hiramatsu et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 6,156,507) in the SCCmec-chromosome right extremity junction for detection and identification of MRSA.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating the position of the primers selected in the present invention in the SCCmec-orfX right extremity junction for detection and identification of MRSA.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating the position of the primers selected in the present invention to sequence new MREP types.

FIGS. 4A-4D illustrate a sequence alignment of nine MREP types.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Here is particularly provided a method wherein each of MRSA nucleic acids or a variant or part thereof comprises a selected target region hybridizable with said primers or probes developed to be ubiquitous;

wherein each of said nucleic acids or a variant or part thereof comprises a selected target region hybridizable with said primers or probes;

said method comprising the steps of contacting said sample with said probes or primers and detecting the presence and/or amount of hybridized probes or amplified products as an indication of the presence and/or amount of MRSA.

In the method, sequences from DNA fragments of SCCmec-chromosome right extremity junction, thereafter named MREJ standing for «mec right extremity junction» including sequences from SCCmec right extremity and chromosomal DNA to the right of the SCCmec integration site are used as parental sequences from which are derived the primers and/or the probes. MREJ sequences include our proprietary sequences as well as sequences obtained from public databases and from U.S. Pat. No. 6,156,507 and were selected for their capacity to sensitively, specifically, ubiquitously and rapidly detect the targeted MRSA nucleic acids.

Our proprietary DNA fragments and oligonucleotides (primers and probes) are also another object of this invention.

Compositions of matter such as diagnostic kits comprising amplification primers or probes for the detection of MRSA are also objects of the present invention.

In the above methods and kits, probes and primers are not limited to nucleic acids and may include, but are not restricted to, analogs of nucleotides. The diagnostic reagents constituted by the probes and the primers may be present in any suitable form (bound to a solid support, liquid, lyophilized, etc.).

In the above methods and kits, amplification reactions may include but are not restricted to: a) polymerase chain reaction (PCR), b) ligase chain reaction (LCR), c) nucleic acid sequence-based amplification (NASBA), d) self-sustained sequence replication (3SR), e) strand displacement amplification (SDA), f) branched DNA signal amplification (bDNA), g) transcription-mediated amplification (TMA), h) cycling probe technology (CPT), i) nested PCR, j) multiplex PCR, k) solid phase amplification (SPA), 1) nuclease dependent signal amplification (NDSA), m) rolling circle amplification technology (RCA), n) Anchored strand displacement amplification, o) Solid-phase (immobilized) rolling circle amplification.

In the above methods and kits, detection of the nucleic acids of target genes may include real-time or post-amplification technologies. These detection technologies can include, but are not limited to fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET)-based methods such as adjacent hybridization of probes (including probe-probe and probe-primer methods), TaqMan probe, molecular beacon probe, Scorpion probe, nanoparticle probe and Amplifluor probe. Other detection methods include target gene nucleic acids detection via immunological methods, solid phase hybridization methods on filters, chips or any other solid support. In these systems, the hybridization can be monitored by fluorescence, chemiluminescence, potentiometry, mass spectrometry, plasmon resonance, polarimetry, colorimetry, flow cytometry or scanometry. Nucleotide sequencing, including sequencing by dideoxy termination or sequencing by hybridization (e.g. sequencing using a DNA chip) represents another method to detect and characterize the nucleic acids of target genes.

In a preferred embodiment, a PCR protocol is used for nucleic acid amplification.

A method for detection of a plurality of potential MRSA strains having different MREJ types may be conducted in separate reactions and physical enclosures, one type at the time. Alternatively, it could be conducted simultaneously for different types in separate physical enclosures, or in the same physical enclosures. In the latter scenario a multiplex PCR reaction could be conducted which would require that the oligonucleotides are all capable of annealing with a target region under common conditions. Since many probes or primers are specific for a determined MREJ type, typing a MRSA strain is a possible embodiment. When a mixture of oligonucleotides annealing together with more than one type is used in a single physical enclosure or container, different labels would be used to distinguish one type from another.

We aim at developing a DNA-based test or kit to detect and identify MRSA. Although the sequences from orfX genes and some SCCmec DNA fragments are available from public databases and have been used to develop DNA-based tests for detection of MRSA, new sequence data allowing to improve MRSA detection and identification which are object of the present invention have either never been characterized previously or were known but not shown to be located at the right extremity of SCCmec adjacent to the integration site (Table 4). These novel sequences could not have been predicted nor detected by the MRSA-specific PCR assay developed by Hiramatsu et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 6,156,507). These sequences will allow to improve current DNA-based tests for the diagnosis of MRSA because they allow the design of ubiquitous primers and probes for the detection and identification of more MRSA strains including all the major epidemic clones from around the world.

The diagnostic kits, primers and probes mentioned above can be used to detect and/or identify MRSA, whether said diagnostic kits, primers and probes are used for in vitro or in situ applications. The said samples may include but are not limited to: any clinical sample, any environmental sample, any microbial culture, any microbial colony, any tissue, and any cell line.

It is also an object of the present invention that said diagnostic kits, primers and probes can be used alone or in combination with any other assay suitable to detect and/or identify microorganisms, including but not limited to: any assay based on nucleic acids detection, any immunoassay, any enzymatic assay, any biochemical assay, any lysotypic assay, any serological assay, any differential culture medium, any enrichment culture medium, any selective culture medium, any specific assay medium, any identification culture medium, any enumeration culture medium, any cellular stain, any culture on specific cell lines, and any infectivity assay on animals.

In the methods and kits described herein below, the oligonucleotide probes and amplification primers have been derived from larger sequences (i.e. DNA fragments of at least 100 base pairs). All DNA sequences have been obtained either from our proprietary sequences or from public databases (Tables 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9).

It is clear to the individual skilled in the art that oligonucleotide sequences other than those described in the present invention and which are appropriate for detection and/or identification of MRSA may also be derived from the proprietary fragment sequences or selected public database sequences. For example, the oligonucleotide primers or probes may be shorter but of a length of at least 10 nucleotides or longer than the ones chosen; they may also be selected anywhere else in the proprietary DNA fragments or in the sequences selected from public databases; they may also be variants of the same oligonucleotide. If the target DNA or a variant thereof hybridizes to a given oligonucleotide, or if the target DNA or a variant thereof can be amplified by a given oligonucleotide PCR primer pair, the converse is also true; a given target DNA may hybridize to a variant oligonucleotide probe or be amplified by a variant oligonucleotide PCR primer. Alternatively, the oligonucleotides may be designed from said DNA fragment sequences for use in amplification methods other than PCR. Consequently, the core of this invention is the detection and/or identification of MRSA by targeting genomic DNA sequences which are used as a source of specific and ubiquitous oligonucleotide probes and/or amplification primers. Although the selection and evaluation of oligonucleotides suitable for diagnostic purposes require much effort, it is quite possible for the individual skilled in the art to derive, from the selected DNA fragments, oligonucleotides other than the ones listed in Tables 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9 which are suitable for diagnostic purposes. When a proprietary fragment or a public database sequence is selected for its specificity and ubiquity, it increases the probability that subsets thereof will also be specific and ubiquitous.

The proprietary DNA fragments have been obtained as a repertory of sequences created by amplifying MRSA nucleic acids with new primers. These primers and the repertory of nucleic acids as well as the repertory of nucleotide sequences are further objects of this invention (Tables 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9).

Claims therefore are in accordance with the present invention.

Sequences for Detection and Identification of MRSA

In the description of this invention, the terms «nucleic acids» and «sequences» might be used interchangeably. However, «nucleic acids» are chemical entities while «sequences» are the pieces of information encoded by these «nucleic acids». Both nucleic acids and sequences are equivalently valuable sources of information for the matter pertaining to this invention.

Oligonucleotide Primers and Probes Design and Synthesis

As part of the design rules, all oligonucleotides (probes for hybridization and primers for DNA amplification by PCR) were evaluated for their suitability for hybridization or PCR amplification by computer analysis using standard programs (i.e. the GCG Wisconsin package programs, the primer analysis software Oligo™ 6 and MFOLD 3.0). The potential suitability of the PCR primer pairs was also evaluated prior to their synthesis by verifying the absence of unwanted features such as long stretches of one nucleotide and a high proportion of G or C residues at the 3′ end (Persing et al., 1993, Diagnostic Molecular Microbiology: Principles and Applications, American Society for Microbiology, Washington, D.C.). Oligonucleotide amplification primers were synthesized using an automated DNA synthesizer (Applied Biosystems). Molecular beacon designs were evaluated using criteria established by Kramer et al. (http://www.molecular-beacons.org).

The oligonucleotide sequence of primers or probes may be derived from either strand of the duplex DNA. The primers or probes may consist of the bases A, G, C, or T or analogs and they may be degenerated at one or more chosen nucleotide position(s) (Nichols et al., 1994, Nature 369:492-493). Primers and probes may also consist of nucleotide analogs such as Locked Nucleic Acids (LNA) (Koskin et al., 1998, Tetrahedron 54:3607-3630), and Peptide Nucleic Acids (PNA) (Egholm et al., 1993, Nature 365:566-568). The primers or probes may be of any suitable length and may be selected anywhere within the DNA sequences from proprietary fragments, or from selected database sequences which are suitable for the detection of MRSA.

Variants for a given target microbial gene are naturally occurring and are attributable to sequence variation within that gene during evolution (Watson et al., 1987, Molecular Biology of the Gene, 4^(th) ed., The Benjamin/Cummings Publishing Company, Menlo Park, Calif.; Lewin, 1989, Genes IV, John Wiley & Sons, New York, N.Y.). For example, different strains of the same microbial species may have a single or more nucleotide variation(s) at the oligonucleotide hybridization site. The person skilled in the art is well aware of the existence of variant nucleic acids and/or sequences for a specific gene and that the frequency of sequence variations depends on the selective pressure during evolution on a given gene product. The detection of a variant sequence for a region between two PCR primers may be demonstrated by sequencing the amplification product. In order to show the presence of sequence variations at the primer hybridization site, one has to amplify a larger DNA target with PCR primers outside that hybridization site. Sequencing of this larger fragment will allow the detection of sequence variation at this primer hybridization site. A similar strategy may be applied to show variations at the hybridization site of a probe. Insofar as the divergence of the target nucleic acids and/or sequences or a part thereof does not affect significantly the sensitivity and/or specificity and/or ubiquity of the amplification primers or probes, variant microbial DNA is under the scope of this invention. Variants of the selected primers or probes may also be used to amplify or hybridize to a variant target DNA.

DNA Amplification

For DNA amplification by the widely used PCR method, primer pairs were derived from our proprietary DNA fragments or from public database sequences.

During DNA amplification by PCR, two oligonucleotide primers binding respectively to each strand of the heat-denatured target DNA from the microbial genome are used to amplify exponentially in vitro the target DNA by successive thermal cycles allowing denaturation of the DNA, annealing of the primers and synthesis of new targets at each cycle (Persing et al, 1993, Diagnostic Molecular Microbiology: Principles and Applications, American Society for Microbiology, Washington, D.C.).

Briefly, the PCR protocols on a standard thermocycler (PTC-200 from MJ Research Inc., Watertown, Mass.) were as follows: Treated standardized bacterial suspensions or genomic DNA prepared from bacterial cultures or clinical specimens were amplified in a 20 μl PCR reaction mixture. Each PCR reaction contained 50 mM KCl, 10 mM Tris-HCl (pH 9.0), 2.5 mM MgCl₂, 0.4 μM of each primer, 200 μM of each of the four dNTPs (Pharmacia Biotech), 3.3 μg/μl bovine serum albumin (BSA) (Sigma-Aldrich Canada Ltd, Oakville, Ontario, Canada) and 0.5 unit of Taq DNA polymerase (Promega Corp., Madison, Wis.) combined with the TaqStart™ antibody (BD Biosciences, Palo Alto, Calif.). The TaqStart™ antibody, which is a neutralizing monoclonal antibody to Tag DNA polymerase, was added to all PCR reactions to enhance the specificity and the sensitivity of the amplifications (Kellogg et al., 1994, Biotechniques 16:1134-1137). The treatment of bacterial cultures or of clinical specimens consists in a rapid protocol to lyse the microbial cells and eliminate or neutralize PCR inhibitors (described in co-pending application U.S. 60/306,163). For amplification from purified genomic DNA, the samples were added directly to the PCR amplification mixture. An internal control, derived from sequences not found in the target MREJ sequences or in the human genome, was used to verify the efficiency of the PCR reaction and the absence of significant PCR inhibition.

The number of cycles performed for the PCR assays varies according to the sensitivity level required. For example, the sensitivity level required for microbial detection directly from a clinical specimen is higher than for detection from a microbial culture. Consequently, more sensitive PCR assays having more thermal cycles are probably required for direct detection from clinical specimens.

The person skilled in the art of nucleic acid amplification knows the existence of other rapid amplification procedures such as ligase chain reaction (LCR), reverse transcriptase PCR (RT-PCR), transcription-mediated amplification (TMA), self-sustained sequence replication (3SR), nucleic acid sequence-based amplification (NASBA), strand displacement amplification (SDA), branched DNA (bDNA), cycling probe technology (CPT), solid phase amplification (SPA), rolling circle amplification technology (RCA), solid phase RCA, anchored SDA and nuclease dependent signal amplification (NDSA) (Lee et al., 1997, Nucleic Acid Amplification Technologies: Application to Disease Diagnosis, Eaton Publishing, Boston, Mass.; Persing et al., 1993, Diagnostic Molecular Microbiology: Principles and Applications, American Society for Microbiology, Washington, D.C.; Westin et al., 2000, Nat. Biotechnol. 18:199-204). The scope of this invention is not limited to the use of amplification by PCR, but rather includes the use of any nucleic acid amplification method or any other procedure which may be used to increase the sensitivity and/or the rapidity of nucleic acid-based diagnostic tests. The scope of the present invention also covers the use of any nucleic acids amplification and detection technology including real-time or post-amplification detection technologies, any amplification technology combined with detection, any hybridization nucleic acid chips or array technologies, any amplification chips or combination of amplification and hybridization chip technologies. Detection and identification by any nucleotide sequencing method is also under the scope of the present invention.

Any oligonucleotide derived from the S. aureus MREJ DNA sequences and used with any nucleic acid amplification and/or hybridization technologies are also under the scope of this invention.

Evaluation of the MRSA Detection Method Developed by Hiramatsu et al.

According to Hiramatsu et al. (Ito et al., 1999, Antimicrob. Agents Chemother. 43:1449-1458; Katayama et al., 2000, Antimicrob. Agents Chemother. 44:1549-1555; Ito et al., 2001, Antimicrob. Agents Chemother. 45:1323-1336, Ma et al., 2002, Antimicrob. Agents Chemother. 46:1147-1152), four types of SCCmec DNA are found among MRSA strains. They have found that SCCmec DNAs are integrated at a specific site of the MSSA chromosome (named orfX). They developed a MRSA-specific multiplex PCR assay including primers that can hybridize to the right extremity of SCCmec types I, II and III (SEQ ID NOs.: 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24 in U.S. Pat. No. 6,156,507 corresponding to SEQ ID NOs.: 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, respectively, in the present invention) as well as primers specific to the S. aureus chromosome to the right of the SCCmec integration site (SEQ ID NO.: 25, 28, 27, 26, 29 in U.S. Pat. No. 6,156,507 corresponding to SEQ ID NOs.: 59, 60, 61, 62, 63, respectively, in the present invention) (Table 1 and FIG. 1). The set of primers described by Hiramatsu et al. as being the optimal primer combination (SEQ ID NOs.: 22, 24 and 28 in U.S. Pat. No. 6,156,507 corresponding to SEQ ID NOs.: 56, 58 and 60 in the present invention) was used in the present invention to test by PCR a variety of MRSA, MSSA, methicillin-resistant CNS (MRCNS) and methicillin-sensitive CNS (MSCNS) strains (Table 2). A PCR assay performed using a standard thermocycler (PTC-200 from MJ Research Inc.) was used to test the ubiquity, the specificity and the sensitivity of these primers using the following protocol: one μl of a treated standardized bacterial suspension or of a genomic DNA preparation purified from bacteria were amplified in a 20 μl PCR reaction mixture. Each PCR reaction contained 50 mM KCl, 10 mM Tris-HCl (pH 9.0), 0.1% Triton X-100, 2.5 mM MgCl₂, 0.4 μM of each of the SCCmec- and S. aureus chromosome-specific primers (SEQ ID NOs.: 22, 24 and 28 in U.S. Pat. No. 6,156,507 corresponding to SEQ ID NOs.: 56, 58 and 60 in the present invention), 200 μM of each of the four dNTPs (Pharmacia Biotech), 3.3 μg/μl BSA (Sigma), and 0.5 U Taq polymerase (Promega) coupled with TaqStart™ Antibody (BD Biosciences).

PCR reactions were then subjected to thermal cycling 3 min at 94° C. followed by 40 cycles of 60 seconds at 95° C. for the denaturation step, 60 seconds at 55° C. for the annealing step, and 60 seconds at 72° C. for the extension step, then followed by a terminal extension of 7 minutes at 72° C. using a standard thermocycler (PTC-200 from MJ Research Inc.). Detection of the PCR products was made by electrophoresis in agarose gels (2%) containing 0.25 μg/ml of ethidium bromide. Twenty of the 39 MRSA strains tested were not amplified with the PCR assay developed by Hiramatsu et al. (Example 1, Tables 2 and 3).

With a view of establishing a rapid diagnostic test for MRSAs, the present inventors developed new sets of primers specific to the right extremity of SCCmec types I and II (SEQ ID NOs.: 66, 100 and 101) (Annex 1), SCCmec type II (SEQ ID NOs.: 97 and 99), SCCmec type III (SEQ ID NOs.: 67, 98 and 102) and in the S. aureus chromosome to the right of the SCCmec integration site (SEQ ID NOs.: 64, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75 and 76) (Table 5). These primers, amplifying short amplicons (171 to 278 bp), are compatible for use in rapid PCR assays (Table 7). The design of these primers was based on analysis of multiple sequence alignments of orfX and SCCmec sequences described by Hiramatsu et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 6,156,507) or available from GenBank (Table 10, Annex I). These different sets of primers were used to test by PCR a variety of MRSA, MSSA, MRCNS and MSCNS strains. Several amplification primers were developed to detect all three SCCmec types (SEQ ID NOs.: 97 and 99 for SCCmec type II, SEQ ID NOs.: 66, 100 and 101 for SCCmec types I and II and SEQ ID NOs.: 67, 98 and 102 for SCCmec type III). Primers were chosen according to their specificity for MRSA strains, their analytical sensitivity in PCR and the length of the PCR product. A set of two primers was chosen for the SCCmec right extremity region (SEQ ID NO.: 66 specific to SCCmec types I and II; SEQ ID NO.: 67 specific to SCCmec type III). Of the 8 different primers designed to anneal on the S. aureus chromosome to the right of the SCCmec integration site (targeting orfX gene) (SEQ ID NOs.: 64, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75 and 76), only one (SEQ ID.: 64) was found to be specific for MRSA based on testing with a variety of MRSA, MSSA, MRCNS and MSCNS strains (Table 12). Consequently, a PCR assay using the optimal set of primers (SEQ ID NOs.: 64, 66 and 67) which could amplify specifically MRSA strains containing SCCmec types I, II and III was developed (FIG. 2, Annex I). While the PCR assay developed with this novel set of primers was highly sensitive (i.e allowed the detection of 2 to 5 copies of genome for all three SCCmec types) (Table 11), it had the same shortcomings (i.e. lack of ubiquity) of the test developed by Hiramatsu et al. The 20 MRSA strains which were not amplified by the Hiramatsu et al. primers were also not detected by the set of primers comprising SEQ ID NOs.: 64, 66 and 67 (Tables 3 and 12). Clearly, diagnostic tools for achieving at least 50% ubiquity amongst the tested strains are needed.

With a view to establish a more ubiquitous (i.e. ability to detect all or most MRSA strains) detection and identification method for MRSA, we determined the sequence of the MREJ present in these 20 MRSA strains which were not amplified. This research has led to the discovery and identification of seven novel distinct MREJ target sequences which can be used for diagnostic purposes. These seven new MREJ sequences could not have been predicted nor detected with the system described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,156,507 by Hiramatsu et al. Namely, the present invention represents an improved method for the detection and identification of MRSA because it provides a more ubiquitous diagnostic method which allows for the detection of all major epidemic MRSA clones from around the world.

Sequencing of MREJ Nucleotide Sequences from MRSA Strains not Amplifiable with Primers Specific to SCCmec Types I, II and III

Since DNA from twenty MRSA strains were not amplified with the set of primers developed by Hiramatsu et al. (SEQ ID NOs.: 22, 24 and 28 in U.S. Pat. No. 6,156,507 corresponding to SEQ ID NOs.: 56, 58 and 60 in the present invention) (Tables 2 and 3) nor with the set of primers developed in the present invention based on the same three SCCmec types (I, II and III) sequences (SEQ ID NOs.: 64, 66 and 67) (Table 12), the nucleotide sequence of the MREJ was determined for sixteen of these twenty MRSA strains.

Transposase of IS431 is often associated with the insertion of resistance genes within the mec locus. The gene encoding this transposase has been described frequently in one or more copies within the right segment of SCCmec (Oliveira et al., 2000, Antimicrob. Agents Chemother. 44:1906-1910; Ito et al., 2001, Antimicrob. Agents Chemother. 45:1323-36). Therefore, in a first attempt to sequence the novel MREJ for 16 of the 20 MRSA strains described in Table 3, a primer was designed in the sequence of the gene coding for the transposase of IS431 (SEQ ID NO.: 68) and combined with an orfX-specific primer to the right of the SCCmec integration site (SEQ ID NO.: 70) (Tables 5 and 8). The strategy used to select these primers is illustrated in FIG. 3.

The MREJ fragments to be sequenced were amplified using the following amplification protocol: one μL of treated cell suspension (or of a purified genomic DNA preparation) was transferred directly into 4 tubes containing 39 μL of a PCR reaction mixture. Each PCR reaction contained 50 mM KCl, 10 mM Tris-HCl (pH 9.0), 0.1% Triton X-100, 2.5 mM MgCl₂, 1 μM of each of the 2 primers (SEQ ID NOs.: 68 and 70), 200 μM of each of the four dNTPs, 3.3 μg/μl of BSA (Sigma-Aldrich Canada Ltd) and 0.5 unit of Taq DNA polymerase (Promega) coupled with the TaqStart™ Antibody (BD Bisociences). PCR reactions were submitted to cycling using a standard thermocycler (PTC-200 from MJ Research Inc.) as follows: 3 min at 94° C. followed by 40 cycles of 5 sec at 95° C. for the denaturation step, 30 sec at 55° C. for the annealing step and 2 min at 72° C. for the extension step.

Subsequently, the four PCR-amplified mixtures were pooled and 10 μL of the mixture were resolved by electrophoresis in a 1.2% agarose gel containing 0.25 μg/mL of ethidium bromide. The amplicons were then visualized with an Alpha-Imager (Alpha Innotech Corporation, San Leandro, Calif.) by exposing to UV light at 254 nm. Amplicon size was estimated by comparison with a 1 kb molecular weight ladder (Life Technologies, Burlington, Ontario, Canada). The remaining PCR-amplified mixture (150 μL, total) was also resolved by electrophoresis in a 1.2% agarose gel. The amplicons were then visualized by staining with methylene blue (Flores et al., 1992, Biotechniques, 13:203-205) Amplicon size was once again estimated by comparison with a 1 kb molecular weight ladder. Of the sixteen strains selected from the twenty described in Table 3, six were amplified using SEQ ID NOs.: 68 and 70 as primers (CCRI-178, CCRI-8895, CCRI-8903, CCRI-1324, CCRI-1331 and CCRI-9504). For these six MRSA strains, an amplification product of 1.2 kb was obtained. The band corresponding to this specific amplification product was excised from the agarose gel and purified using the QlAquick™ gel extraction kit (QIAGEN Inc., Chatsworth, Calif.). The gel-purified DNA fragment was then used directly in the sequencing protocol. Both strands of the MREJ amplification products were sequenced by the dideoxynucleotide chain termination sequencing method by using an Applied Biosystems automated DNA sequencer (model 377) with their Big Dye™ Terminator Cycle Sequencing Ready Reaction Kit (Applied Biosystems, Foster City, Calif.). The sequencing reactions were performed by using the same primers (SEQ ID NOs.: 68 and 70) and 10 ng/100 bp per reaction of the gel-purified amplicons. Sequencing of MREJ from the six MRSA strains (CCRI-178, CCRI-8895, CCRI-8903, CCRI-1324, CCRI-1331 and CCRI-9504) described in Table 3 yielded SEQ ID NOs.: 42, 43, 44, 45, 46 and 51, respectively (Table 4).

In order to ensure that the determined sequence did not contain errors attributable to the sequencing of PCR artefacts, we have sequenced two preparations of the gel-purified MREJ amplification products originating from two independent PCR amplifications. For most target fragments, the sequences determined for both amplicon preparations were identical. Furthermore, the sequences of both strands were 100% complementary thereby confirming the high accuracy of the determined sequence. The MREJ sequences determined using the above strategy are described in the Sequence Listing and in Table 4.

In order to sequence MREJ in strains for which no amplicon had been obtained using the strategy including primers specific to the transposase gene of IS431 and orfX, another strategy using primers targeting mecA and orfX sequences was used to amplify longer genomic fragments. A new PCR primer targeting mecA (SEQ ID NO.: 69) (Table 8) to be used in combination with the same primer in the orfX sequence (SEQ ID NO.: 70). The strategy used to select these primers is illustrated in FIG. 3.

The following amplification protocol was used: Purified genomic DNA (300 ng) was transferred to a final volume of 50 μl of a PCR reaction mixture. Each PCR reaction contained Herculase buffer (Stratagene, La Jolla, Calif.), 0.8 μM of each of the 2 primers (SEQ ID NOs.: 69 and 70), 0.56 mM of each of the four dNTPs and 5 units of Herculase (Stratagene). PCR reactions were subjected to cycling using a standard thermal cycler (PTC-200 from MJ Research Inc.) as follows: 2 min at 92° C. followed by 35 or 40 cycles of 10 sec at 92° C. for the denaturation step, 30 sec at 55° C. for the annealing step and 30 min at 68° C. for the extension step.

Subsequently, 10 μL of the PCR-amplified mixture were resolved by electrophoresis in a 0.7% agarose gel containing 0.25 μg/mL of ethidium bromide. The amplicons were then visualized as described above Amplicon size was estimated by comparison with a 1 kb molecular weight ladder (Life Technologies). A reamplification reaction was then performed in 2 to 5 tubes using the same protocol with 3 μl of the first PCR reaction used as test sample for the second amplification. The PCR-reamplified mixtures were pooled and also resolved by electrophoresis in a 0.7% agarose gel. The amplicons were then visualized by staining with methylene blue as described above. An amplification product of approximately 12 kb was obtained using this amplification strategy for all strains tested. The band corresponding to the specific amplification product was excised from the agarose gel and purified as described above. The gel-purified DNA fragment was then used directly in the sequencing protocol as described above. The sequencing reactions were performed by using the same amplification primers (SEQ ID NOs.: 69 and 70) and 425-495 ng of the gel-purified amplicons per reaction. Subsequently, internal sequencing primers (SEQ ID NOs.: 65, 77 and 96) (Table 8) were used to obtain sequence data on both strands for a larger portion of the amplicon. Five of the 20 MRSA strains (CCRI-1331, CCRI-1263, CCRI-1377, CCRI-1311 and CCRI-2025) described in Table 3 were sequenced using this strategy, yielding SEQ ID NOs.: 46, 47, 48, 49 and 50, respectively (Table 4). Sequence within mecA gene was also obtained from the generated amplicons yielding SEQ ID NOs: 27, 28, 29, 30 and 31 from strains CCRI-2025, CCRI-1263, CCRI-1311, CCRI-1331 and CCRI-1377, respectively (Table 4). Longer sequences within the mecA gene and from downstream regions were also obtained for strains CCRI-2025, CCRI-1331, and CCRI-1377 as described below.

In order to obtain longer sequences of the orfX gene, two other strategies using primers targeting mecA and orfX sequences (at the start codon) was used to amplify longer chromosome fragments. A new PCR primer was designed in orfX (SEQ ID NO.: 132) to be used in combination with the same primer in the mecA gene (SEQ ID NO.: 69). The strategy used to select these primers is illustrated in FIG. 3. Eight S. aureus strains were amplified using primers SEQ ID NOs.: 69 and 132 (CCRI-9860, CCRI-9208, CCRI-9504, CCRI-1331, CCRI-9583, CCRI-9681, CCRI-2025 and CCRI-1377). The strategy used to select these primers is illustrated in FIG. 3.

The following amplification protocol was used: Purified genomic DNA (350 to 500 ng) was transferred to a 50 μl PCR reaction mixture. Each PCR reaction contained 1× Herculase buffer (Stratagene), 0.8 μM of each of the set of 2 primers (SEQ ID NOs.: 69 and 132), 0.56 mM of each of the four dNTPs and 7.5 units of Herculase (Stratagene) with 1 mM MgCl₂. PCR reactions were subjected to thermocycling as described above.

Subsequently, 5 μL of the PCR-amplified mixture were resolved by electrophoresis in a 0.8% agarose gel containing 0.25 μg/mL of ethidium bromide. The amplicons were then visualized as described above. For one S. aureus strain (CCRI-9583), a reamplification was then performed by using primers SEQ ID NOs.: 96 and 158 (FIG. 3) in 4 tubes, using the same PCR protocol, with 2 μl of the first PCR reaction as test sample for the second amplification. The PCR-reamplified mixtures were pooled and also resolved by electrophoresis in a 0.8% agarose gel. The amplicons were then visualized by staining with methylene blue as described above. A band of approximately 12 to 20 kb was obtained using this amplification strategy depending on the strains tested. The band corresponding to the specific amplification product was excised from the agarose gel and purified using the QlAquick™ gel extraction kit or QIAEX II gel extraction kit (QIAGEN Inc.). Two strains, CCRI-9583 and CCRI-9589, were also amplified with primers SEQ ID NOs.: 132 and 150, generating an amplification product of 1.5 kb. Long amplicons (12-20 kb) were sequenced using 0.6 to 1 μg per reaction, while short amplicons (1.5 kb) were sequenced using 150 ng per reaction. Sequencing reactions were performed using different sets of primers for each S. aureus strain: 1) SEQ ID NOs.: 68, 70, 132, 145, 146, 147, 156, 157 and 158 for strain CCRI-9504; 2) SEQ ID NOs.: 70, 132, 154 and 155 for strain CCRI-2025; 3) SEQ ID NOs.: 70, 132, 148, 149, 158 and 159 for strain CCRI-9681; 4) SEQ ID NOs.: 70, 132, 187, and 188 for strain CCRI-9860; 5) SEQ ID NOs: 70, 132, 150 and 159 for strain CCRI-9589, 6) SEQ ID NOs.: 114, 123, 132, 150 and 158 for strain CCRI-9583; 7) SEQ ID NOs: 70, 132, 154 and 155 for strain CCRI-1377, 8) SEQ ID NOs.: 70, 132, 158 and 159 for strain CCRI-9208; 9) SEQ ID NOs: 68, 70, 132, 145, 146, 147 and 158 for strain CCRI-1331; and 10) SEQ ID NOs.: 126 and 127 for strain CCRI-9770.

In one strain (CCRI-9770), the orfX and orfSA0022 genes were shown to be totally or partially deleted based on amplification using primers specific to these genes (SEQ ID NOs: 132 and 159 and SEQ ID NOs.: 128 and 129, respectively) (Table 8). Subsequently, a new PCR primer was designed in orfSA0021 (SEQ ID NO.: 126) to be used in combination with the same primer in the mecA gene (SEQ ID NO.: 69). An amplification product of 4.5 kb was obtained with this primer set. Amplification, purification of amplicons and sequencing of amplicons were performed as described above.

To obtain the sequence of the SSCmec region containing mecA for ten of the 20 MRSA strains described in Table 3 (CCRI-9504, CCRI-2025, CCRI-9208, CCRI-1331, CCRI-9681, CCRI-9860, CCRI-9770, CCRI-9589, CCRI-9583 and CCRI-1377), the primer described above designed in mecA (SEQ ID NO.: 69) was used in combination with a primer designed in the downstream region of mecA (SEQ ID NO.: 118) (Table 8). An amplification product of 2 kb was obtained for all the strains tested. For one strain, CCRI-9583, a re-amplification with primers SEQ ID NOs.: 96 and 118 was performed with the amplicon generated with primers SEQ ID NOs.: 69 and 132 described above. The amplication, re-amplification, purification of amplicons and sequencing reactions were performed as described above. Sequencing reactions were performed with amplicons generated with SEQ ID NOs.: 69 and 132 described above or SEQ ID NOs.: 69 and 118. Different sets of sequencing primers were used for each S. aureus strain: 1) SEQ ID NOs.: 69, 96, 117, 118, 120, 151, 152 for strains CCRI-9504, CCRI-2025, CCRI-1331, CCRI-9770 and CCRI-1377; 2) SEQ ID NOs.: 69, 96, 118 and 120 for strains CCRI-9208, CCRI-9681 and CCRI-9589; 3) SEQ ID NOs.: 69, 96, 117, 118, 120 and 152 for strain CCRI-9860; and 4) SEQ ID NOs.: 96, 117, 118, 119, 120, 151 and 152 for strain CCRI-9583.

The sequences obtained for 16 of the 20 strains non-amplifiable by the Hiramatsu assay (Table 4) were then compared to the sequences available from public databases. In all cases, portions of the sequence had an identity close to 100% to publicly available sequences for orfX (SEQ ID NOs.: 42-51, 165-168 and 171) or mecA and downstream region (SEQ ID NOs.: 27-31, 189-193, 195, 197-199 and 225). However, while the orfX portion of the fragments (SEQ ID NOs.: 42-51, 165-168 and 171) shared nearly 100% identity with the orfX gene of MSSA strain NCTC 8325 described by Hiramatsu et al. (SEQ ID NO.: 3), the DNA sequence within the right extremity of SCCmec itself was shown to be very different from those of types I, II, III and IV described by Hiramatsu et al. (Table 13, FIG. 4). Six different novel sequence types were obtained.

It should be noted that Hiramatsu et al. demonstrated that SCCmec type I could be associated with MREP type i, SCCmec types II and IV are associated with MREP type ii, and SCCmec type III is associated with MREP type iii. Our MREJ sequencing data from various MRSA strains led to the discovery of 6 novel MREP types designated types iv, v vi, vii, viii, and ix. The MREJ comprising distinct MREP types were named according to the MREP numbering scheme. Hence, MREP type i is comprised within MREJ type i, MREP type ii is comprised within MREJ type ii and so on up to MREP type ix.

The sequences within the right extremity of SCCmec obtained from strains CCRI-178, CCRI-8895, CCRI-8903, CCRI-1324, CCRI-1331 and CCRI-9504 (SEQ ID NOs.: 42, 43, 44, 45, 46 and 51) were nearly identical to each other and exhibited nearly 100% identity with IS431 (GenBank accession numbers AF422691, AB037671, AF411934). However, our sequence data revealed for the first time the location of this IS431 sequence at the right extremity of SCCmec adjacent to the integration site. Therefore, as the sequences at the right extremity of SCCmec from these 6 MRSA strains were different from those of SCCmec type I from strain NCTC 10442, SCCmec type II from strain N315, SCCmec type III from strain 85/2082 and SCCmec type IV from strains CA05 and 8/6-3P described by Hiramatsu et al. (Ito et al., 2001, Antimicrob. Agents Chemother. 45:1323-1336; Ma et al., 2002, Antimicrob. Agents Chemother. 46:1147-1152), these new sequences were designated as MREP type iv (SEQ ID NOs.: 42-46 and 51). A BLAST search with the SCCmec portion of MREP type iv sequences produced significant alignments with sequences coding for portions of a variety of known transposases. For example, when compared to Genbank accession no. AB037671, MREP type iv from SEQ ID NO. 51 shared 98% identity with the putative transposase of IS431 and its downstream region; two gaps of 7 nucleotides each were also present in the alignment.

Sequences obtained from strains CCRI-1263, CCRI-1377, CCRI-1311 and CCRI-2025 (SEQ ID NOs.: 47-50) were nearly identical to each other and different from all three SCCmec types and MREP type iv and, consequently, were designated as MREP type v. When compared with Genbank sequences using BLAST, MREP type v sequences did not share any significant homology with any published sequence, except for the first 28 nucleotides. That short stretch corresponded to the last 11 coding nucleotides of orfX, followed by the 17 nucleotides downstream, including the right inverted repeat (IR-R) of SCCmec.

Sequence obtained from strain CCRI-9208 was also different from all three SCCmec types and MREP types iv and v and, consequently, was designated as MREP type vi (SEQ ID NO.: 171). Upon a BLAST search, MREP type vi was shown to be unique, exhibiting no significant homology to any published sequence.

Sequences obtained from strains CCRI-9583 and CCRI-9589 were also different from all three SCCmec types and MREP types iv to vi and were therefore designated as MREP type vii (SEQ ID NOs.: 165 and 166). Upon a BLAST search, MREP type vii was also shown to be unique, exhibiting no significant homology to any published sequence.

Sequence obtained from strain CCRI-9860 was also different from all three SCCmec types and MREP types iv to vii and was therefore designated as MREP type viii (SEQ ID NO.: 167). Sequence obtained from strain CCRI-9681 was also different from all three SCCmec types and MREP types iv to viii and was therefore designated as MREP type ix (SEQ ID NO.: 168). BLAST searches with the SCCmec portion of MREP types viii and ix sequences yielded significant alignments, but only for the first ˜150 nucleotides of each MREP type. For example, the beginning of the MREP type viii sequence had 88% identity with a portion of Genbank accession no. AB063173, but no significant homology with any published sequence was found for the rest of the sequence. In the same manner, the first ˜150 nucleotides of MREP type ix had 97% identity with the same portion of AB063173, with the rest of the sequence being unique. The short homologous portion of MREP types viii and ix corresponds in AB063173 to the last 14 coding nucleotides of orfX, the IR-R of SCCmec, and a portion of orfCM009. Although sharing resemblances, MREP types viii and ix are very different from one another; as shown in Table 13, there is only 55.2% identity between both types for the first 500 nucleotides of the SCCmec portion.

Finally, we did not obtain any sequence within SSCmec from strain CCRI-9770. However, as described in the section “Sequencing of MREJ nucleotide sequences from MRSA strains not amplifiable with primers specific to SCCmec types I, II and III”, this strain has apparently a partial or total deletion of the orfX and orfSA0022 genes in the chromosomal DNA to the right of the SCCmec integration site and this would represent a new right extremity junction. We therefore designated this novel sequence as MREP type x (SEQ ID NO.: 172). Future sequencing should reveal whether this so called MREJ type x contains a novel MREP type x or if the lack of amplification is indeed caused by variation in the chromosomal part of the MREJ.

The sequences of the first 500-nucleotide portion of the right extremity of all SCCmec obtained in the present invention were compared to those of SCCmec types I, II and III using GCG programs Pileup and Gap. Table 13 depicts the identities at the nucleotide level between SCCmec right extremities of the six novel sequences with those of SCCmec types I, II and III using the GCG program Gap. While SCCmec types I and II showed nearly 79.2% identity (differing only by a 102 bp insertion present in SCCmec type II) (FIGS. 1, 2 and 4), all other MREP types showed identities varying from 40.9 to 57.1%. This explains why the right extremities of the novel MREP types iv to ix disclosed in the present invention could not have been predicted nor detected with the system described by Hiramatsu et al.

Four strains (CCRI-1312, CCRI-1325, CCRI-9773 and CCRI-9774) described in Table 3 were not sequenced but rather characterized using PCR primers. Strains CCRI-1312 and CCRI-1325 were shown to contain MREP type v using specific amplification primers described in Examples 4, 5 and 6 while strains CCRI-9773 and CCRI-9774 were shown to contain MREP type vii using specific amplification primers described in Example 7.

To obtain the complete sequence of the SCCmec present in the MRSA strains described in the present invention, primers targeting the S. aureus chromosome to the left (upstream of the mecA gene) of the SCCmec integration site were developed. Based on available public database sequences, 5 different primers were designed (SEQ ID NOs.: 85-89) (Table 9). These primers can be used in combination with S. aureus chromosome-specific primers in order to sequence the entire SCCmec or, alternatively, used in combination with a mecA-specific primer (SEQ ID NO.: 81) in order to sequence the left extremity junction of SCCmec. We have also developed several primers specific to known SCCmec sequences spread along the locus in order to obtain the complete sequence of SCCmec (Table 9). These primers will allow to assign a SCCmec type to the MRSA strains described in the present invention.

Selection of Amplification Primers from SCCmec/orfX Sequences

The MREJ sequences determined by the inventors or selected from public databases were used to select PCR primers for detection and identification of MRSA. The strategy used to select these PCR primers was based on the analysis of multiple sequence alignments of various MREJ sequences.

Upon analysis of the six new MREP types iv to ix sequence data described above, primers specific to each new MREP type sequence (SEQ ID NOs.: 79, 80, 109, 112, 113, 115, 116 and 204) were designed (FIG. 2, Table 5, Examples 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8). Primers specific to MREP types iv, v and vii (SEQ ID NOs.: 79, 80 and 112) were used in multiplex with the three primers to detect SCCmec types I, II and III (SEQ ID NOs: 64, 66 and 67) and the primer specific to the S. aureus orfX (SEQ ID NO. 64) (Examples 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7). Primers specific to MREP types vi, viii and ix (SEQ ID NOs.: 204, 115, 116 and 109) were also designed and tested against their specific target (Example 8).

Detection of Amplification Products

Classically, the detection of PCR amplification products is performed by standard ethidium bromide-stained agarose gel electrophoresis as described above. It is however clear that other methods for the detection of specific amplification products, which may be faster and more practical for routine diagnosis, may be used. Examples of such methods are described in co-pending patent application WO01/23604 A2.

Amplicon detection may also be performed by solid support or liquid hybridization using species-specific internal DNA probes hybridizing to an amplification product. Such probes may be generated from any sequence from our repertory and designed to specifically hybridize to DNA amplification products which are objects of the present invention. Alternatively, amplicons can be characterized by sequencing. See co-pending patent application WO01/23604 A2 for examples of detection and sequencing methods.

In order to improve nucleic acid amplification efficiency, the composition of the reaction mixture may be modified (Chakrabarti and Schutt, 2002, Biotechniques, 32:866-874; Al-Soud and Radstrom, 2002, J. Clin. Microbiol., 38:4463-4470; Al-Soud and Radstrom, 1998, Appl. Environ. Microbiol., 64:3748-3753; Wilson, 1997, Appl. Environ. Microbiol., 63:3741-3751). Such modifications of the amplification reaction mixture include the use of various polymerases or the addition of nucleic acid amplification facilitators such as betaine, BSA, sulfoxides, protein gp32, detergents, cations, tetramethylamonium chloride and others.

In a preferred embodiment, real-time detection of PCR amplification was monitored using molecular beacon probes in a SMART CYCLER® apparatus (Cepheid, Sunnyvale, Calif.). A multiplex PCR assay containing primers specific to MREP types i to v and orfX of S. aureus (SEQ ID NOs.: 64, 66, 67, 79 and 80), a molecular beacon probe specific to the orfX sequence (SEQ ID NO. 84, see Annex II and FIG. 2) and an internal control to monitor PCR inhibition was developed. The internal control contains sequences complementary to MREP type iv- and orfX-specific primers (SEQ ID NOs. 79 and 64). The assay also contains a molecular beacon probe labeled with tetrachloro-6-carboxyfluorescein (TET) specific to sequence within DNA fragment generated during amplification of the internal control. Each PCR reaction contained 50 mM KCl, 10 mM Tris-HCl (pH 9.0), 0.1% Triton X-100, 3.45 mM MgCl₂, 0.8 μM of each of the MREP-specific primers (SEQ ID NOs.: 66 and 67) and orfX-specific primer (SEQ ID NO.: 64), 0.4 μM of each of the MREP-specific primers (SEQ ID NOs.: 79 and 80), 80 copies of the internal control, 0.2 μM of the TET-labeled molecular beacon probe specific to the internal control, 0.2 μM of the molecular beacon probe (SEQ ID NO.: 84) labeled with 6-carboxyfluorescein (FAM), 330 μM of each of the four dNTPs (Pharmacia Biotech), 3.45 μg/μl of BSA (Sigma), and 0.875 U Taq polymerase (Promega) coupled with TaqStart™ Antibody (BD Biosciences). The PCR amplification on the SMART CYCLER® was performed as follows: 3 min. at 95° C. for initial denaturation, then forty-eight cycles of three steps consisting of 5 seconds at 95° C. for the denaturation step, 15 seconds at 60° C. for the annealing step and 15 seconds at 72° C. for the extension step. Sensitivity tests performed by using purified genomic DNA from one MRSA strain of each MREP type (i to v) showed a detection limit of 2 to 10 genome copies (Example 5). None of the 26 MRCNS or 10 MSCNS tested were positive with this multiplex assay. The eight MRSA strains (CCRI-9208, CCRI-9770, CCRI-9681, CCRI-9860, CCRI-9583, CCRI-9773, CCRI-9774, CCRI-9589) which harbor the new MREP types vi, viii, ix and x sequences described in the present invention remained undetectable (Example 5).

In a preferred embodiment, detection of MRSA using the real-time multiplex PCR assay on the SMART CYCLER® apparatus (Cepheid, Sunnyvale, Calif.) directly from clinical specimens was evaluated. A total of 142 nasal swabs were collected during a MRSA hospital surveillance program at the Montreal General Hospital (Montreal, Quebec, Canada). The swab samples were tested at the Centre de Recherche en Infectiologie de l'Université Laval within 24 hours of collection. Upon receipt, the swabs were plated onto mannitol agar and then the nasal material from the same swab was prepared with a simple and rapid specimen preparation protocol described in co-pending patent application No. U.S. 60/306,163. Classical identification of MRSA was performed by standard culture methods.

The PCR assay detected 33 of the 34 samples positive for MRSA based on the culture method. As compared to culture, the PCR assay detected 8 additional MRSA positive specimens for a sensitivity of 97.1% and a specificity of 92.6% (Example 6). This multiplex PCR assay represents a rapid and powerful method for the specific detection of MRSA carriers directly from nasal specimens and can be used with any types of clinical specimens such as wounds, blood or blood culture, CSF, etc.

In a preferred embodiment, a multiplex PCR assay containing primers specific to MREP types i, ii, iii, iv, v and vi and orfX of S. aureus (SEQ ID NOs.: 66, 67, 79, 80 and 112), and three molecular beacons probes specific to orfX sequence which allowed detection of the two sequence polymorphisms identified in this region of the orfX sequence was developed. Four of the strains which were not detected with the multiplex assay for the detection of MREP types i to v were now detected with this multiplex assay while the four MRSA strains (CCRI-9208, CCRI-9770, CCRI-9681, CCRI-9860) which harbor the MREP types vi, viii, ix and x described in the present invention remained undetectable (Example 7). Primers specific to MREP types vi, viii and ix (SEQ ID NOs.: 204, 115, 116 and 109) were also designed and were shown to detect their specific target strains (Example 8). While the primers and probes derived from the teaching of Hiramatsu et al., permitted the detection of only 48.7% (19 strains out of 39) of the MRSA strains of Table 2, the primers and probes derived from the present invention enable the detection of 97.4% of the strains (38 strains out of 39) (see examples 7 and 8). Therefore it can be said that our assay has a ubiquity superior to 50% for the MRSA strains listed in Table 2.

Specificity, Ubiquity and Sensitivity Tests for Oligonucleotide Primers and Probes

The specificity of oligonucleotide primers and probes was tested by amplification of DNA or by hybridization with staphylococcal species. All of the staphylococcal species tested were likely to be pathogens associated with infections or potential contaminants which can be isolated from clinical specimens. Each target DNA could be released from microbial cells using standard chemical and/or physical treatments to lyse the cells (Sambrook et al., 1989, Molecular Cloning: A Laboratory Manual, 2^(nd) ed., Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press, Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y.) or alternatively, genomic DNA purified with the GNOME™ DNA kit (Qbiogene, Carlsbad, Calif.) was used. Subsequently, the DNA was subjected to amplification with the set of primers. Specific primers or probes hybridized only to the target DNA.

Oligonucleotides primers found to amplify specifically DNA from the target MRSA were subsequently tested for their ubiquity by amplification (i.e. ubiquitous primers amplified efficiently most or all isolates of MRSA). Finally, the analytical sensitivity of the PCR assays was determined by using 10-fold or 2-fold dilutions of purified genomic DNA from the targeted microorganisms. For most assays, sensitivity levels in the range of 2-10 genome copies were obtained. The specificity, ubiquity and analytical sensitivity of the PCR assays were tested either directly with bacterial cultures or with purified bacterial genomic DNA.

Molecular beacon probes were tested using the SMART CYCLER® platform as described above. A molecular beacon probe was considered specific only when it hybridized solely to DNA amplified from the MREJ of S. aureus. Molecular beacon probes found to be specific were subsequently tested for their ubiquity (i.e. ubiquitous probes detected efficiently most or all isolates of the MRSA) by hybridization to bacterial DNAs from various MRSA strains.

Bacterial Strains

The reference strains used to build proprietary SCCmec-chromosome right extremity junction sequence data subrepertories, as well as to test the amplification and hybridization assays, were obtained from (i) the American Type Culture Collection (ATCC), (ii) the Laboratoire de sante publique du Québec (LSPQ) (Ste-Anne de Bellevue, Québec, Canada), (iii) the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) (Atlanta, Ga.), (iv) the Institut Pasteur (Paris, France), and V) the Harmony Collection (London, United Kingdom) (Table 14). Clinical isolates of MRSA, MSSA, MRCNS and MSCNS from various geographical areas were also used in this invention (Table 15). The identity of our MRSA strains was confirmed by phenotypic testing and reconfirmed by PCR analysis using S. aureus-specific primers and mecA-specific primers (SEQ ID NOs.: 69 and 81) (Martineau et al., 2000, Antimicrob. Agents Chemother. 44:231-238).

For sake of clarity, below is a list of the Examples, Tables, Figures and Annexes of this invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE EXAMPLES

Example 1: Primers developed by Hiramatsu et al. can only detect MRSA strains belonging to MREP types i, ii, and iii while missing prevalent novel MREP types.

Example 2: Detection and identification of MRSA using primers specific to MREP types i, ii and iii sequences developed in the present invention.

Example 3: Development of a multiplex PCR assay on a standard thermocycler for detection and identification of MRSA based on MREP types i, ii, iii, iv and v sequences.

Example 4: Development of a real-time multiplex PCR assay on the SMART CYCLER® for detection and identification of MRSA based on MREP types i, ii, iii, iv and v sequences.

Example 5: Development of a real-time multiplex PCR assay on the SMART CYCLER® for detection and identification of MRSA based on MREP types i, ii, iii, iv and v sequences and including an internal control.

Example 6: Detection of MRSA using the real-time multiplex assay on the SMART CYCLER® based on MREP types i, ii, iii, iv and v sequences for the detection of MRSA directly from clinical specimens.

Example 7: Development of a real-time multiplex PCR assay on the SMART CYCLER® for detection and identification of MRSA based on MREP types i, ii, iii, iv, v, vi and vii sequences.

Example 8: Development of real-time PCR assays on the SMART CYCLER® for detection and identification of MRSA based on MREP types vi, viii and ix.

DESCRIPTION OF THE TABLES

Table 1 provides information about all PCR primers developed by Hiramatsu et al. in U.S. Pat. No. 6,156,507.

Table 2 is a compilation of results (ubiquity and specificity) for the detection of SCCmec-orfX right extremity junction using primers described by Hiramatsu et al. in U.S. Pat. No. 6,156,507 on a standard thermocycler.

Table 3 is a list of MRSA strains not amplifiable using primers targeting types I, II and III of SCCmec-orfX right extremity junction sequences.

Table 4 is a list of novel sequences revealed in the present invention.

Table 5 provides information about all primers developed in the present invention.

Table 6 is a list of molecular beacon probes developed in the present invention.

Table 7 shows amplicon sizes of the different primer pairs described by Hiramatsu et al. in U.S. Pat. No. 6,156,507 or developed in the present invention.

Table 8 provides information about primers developed in the present invention to sequence the SCCmec-chromosome right extremity junction.

Table 9 provides information about primers developed in the present invention to obtain sequence of the complete SCCmec.

Table 10 is a list of the sequences available from public databases (GenBank, genome projects or U.S. Pat. No. 6,156,507) used in the present invention to design primers and probes.

Table 11 gives analytical sensitivity of the PCR assay developed in the present invention using primers targeting types I, II and III of SCCmec-orfX right extremity junction sequences and performed using a standard thermocycler.

Table 12 is a compilation of results (ubiquity and specificity) for the detection of MRSA using primers developed in the present invention which target types I, II and III of SCCmec-orfX right extremity junction sequences and performed using a standard thermocycler.

Table 13 shows a comparison of sequence identities between the first 500 nucleotides of SCCmec right extremities between 9 types of MREP.

Table 14 provides information about the reference strains of MRSA, MSSA, MRCNS and MSCNS used to validate the PCR assays developed in the present invention.

Table 15 provides information about the origin of clinical strains of MRSA, MSSA, MRCNS and MSCNS used to validate the PCR assays described in the present invention.

Table 16 depicts the analytical sensitivity of the PCR assay developed in the present invention using primers targeting 5 types of MREP sequences and performed on a standard thermocycler.

Table 17 is a compilation of results (ubiquity and specificity) for the PCR assay developed in the present invention using primers targeting 5 types of MREP sequences and performed on a standard thermocycler.

Table 18 depicts the analytical sensitivity of the PCR assay developed in the present invention using the SMART CYCLER® platform for the detection of 5 types of MREP.

Table 19 is a compilation of results (ubiquity and specificity) for the PCR assay developed in the present invention using primers and a molecular beacon probe targeting 5 types of MREP sequences and performed on the SMART CYCLER® platform.

Table 20 depicts the analytical sensitivity of the PCR assay developed in the present invention using the SMART CYCLER® platform for the detection of 6 MREP types.

Table 21 is a compilation of results (ubiquity and specificity) for the PCR assay developed in the present invention using primers and a molecular beacon probe targeting 6 types of MREP sequences and performed on the SMART CYCLER® platform.

FIGURE LEGENDS

FIG. 1. Schematic organization of types I, II and III SCCmec-orfX right extremity junctions and localization of the primers (SEQ ID NOs: 52-63) described by Hiramatsu et al. for the detection and identification of MRSA. Amplicon sizes are depicted in Table 7.

FIG. 2. Schematic organization of MREP types i, ii, iii, iv, v, vi, vii, viii and ix and localization of the primers and molecular beacon targeting all MREP types (SEQ ID NOs. 20, 64, 66, 67, 79, 80, 84, 112, 115, 116, 84, 163 and 164) which were developed in the present invention. Amplicon sizes are depicted in Table 7.

FIG. 3. Schematic organization of the SCCmec-chromosome right extremity junctions and localization of the primers (SEQ ID NOs. 65, 68, 69, 70, 77, 96, 118, 126, 132, 150 and 158) developed in the present invention for the sequencing of MREP types iv, v, vi, vii, viii, ix and x.

FIG. 4. Multiple sequence alignment of representatives of nine MREP types (represented by portions of SEQ ID NOs.: 1, 2, 104, 51, 50, 171, 165, 167 and 168 for types i, iii, iv, v, vi, vii, viii and ix, respectively).

DESCRIPTION OF THE ANNEXES

The Annexes show the strategies used for the selection of primers and internal probes:

Annex I illustrates the strategy for the selection of primers from SCCmec and orfX sequences specific for SCCmec types I and II.

Annex II illustrates the strategy for the selection of specific molecular beacon probes for the real-time detection of SCCmec-orfX right extremity junctions.

As shown in these Annexes, the selected amplification primers may contain inosines and/or base ambiguities. Inosine is a nucleotide analog able to specifically bind to any of the four nucleotides A, C, G or T. Alternatively, degenerated oligonucleotides which consist of an oligonucleotide mix having two or more of the four nucleotides A, C, G or T at the site of mismatches were used. The inclusion of inosine and/or of degeneracies in the amplification primers allows mismatch tolerance thereby permitting the amplification of a wider array of target nucleotide sequences (Dieffenbach and Dveksler, 1995, PCR Primer: A Laboratory Manual, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press, Plainview, N.Y.).

EXAMPLES Example 1

Primers Developed by Hiramatsu et al. Can Only Detect MRSA Strains Belonging to MREP Types ii, and iii while Missing Prevalent Novel MREP Types.

As shown in FIG. 1, Hiramatsu et al. have developed various primers that can specifically hybridize to the right extremities of types I, II and III SCCmec DNAs. They combined these primers with primers specific to the S. aureus chromosome region located to the right of the SCCmec integration site for the detection of MRSA. The primer set (SEQ ID NOs.: 22, 24 and 28 in U.S. Pat. No. 6,156,507 corresponding to SEQ ID NOs.: 56, 58 and 60 in the present invention) was shown by Hiramatsu et al. to be the most specific and ubiquitous for detection of MRSA. This set of primers gives amplification products of 1.5 kb for SCCmec type I, 1.6 kb for SCCmec type II and 1.0 kb for SCCmec type III (Table 7). The ubiquity and specificity of this multiplex PCR assay was tested on 39 MRSA strains, 41 MSSA strains, 9 MRCNS strains and 11 MSCNS strains (Table 2). One μL of a treated standardized bacterial suspension or of a bacterial genomic DNA preparation purified from bacteria were amplified in a 20 μl PCR reaction mixture. Each PCR reaction contained 50 mM KCl, 10 mM Tris-HCl (pH 9.0), 0.1% Triton X-100, 2.5 mM MgCl₂, 0.4 μM of each of the SCCmec- and orfX-specific primers (SEQ ID NOs.: 56, 58 and 60), 200 μM of each of the four dNTPs (Pharmacia Biotech), 3.3 μg/μl of BSA (Sigma), and 0.5 U Taq polymerase (Promega) coupled with TaqStart™ Antibody (BD Biosciences).

PCR reactions were then subjected to thermal cycling: 3 min at 94° C. followed by 40 cycles of 60 seconds at 95° C. for the denaturation step, 60 seconds at 55° C. for the annealing step, and 60 seconds at 72° C. for the extension step, then followed by a terminal extension of 7 minutes at 72° C. using a standard thermocycler (PTC-200 from MJ Research Inc.). Detection of the PCR products was made by electrophoresis in agarose gels (2%) containing 0.25 μg/ml of ethidium bromide.

None of the MRCNS or MSCNS strains tested were detected with the set of primers detecting SCCmec types I, II and III. Twenty of the 39 MRSA strains tested were not detected with this multiplex PCR assay (Tables 2 and 3). One of these undetected MRSA strains corresponds to the highly epidemic MRSA Portuguese clone (strain CCRI-9504; De Lencastre et al., 1994. Eur. J. Clin. Microbiol. Infect. Dis. 13:64-73) and another corresponds to the highly epidemic MRSA Canadian clone CMRSA1 (strain CCRI-9589; Simor et al. CCDR 1999, 25-12, June 15). These data demonstrate that the primer set developed by Hiramatsu et al. (SEQ ID NOs.: 22, 24 and 28 in U.S. Pat. No. 6,156,507 corresponding to SEQ ID NOs.: 56, 58 and 60 in the present invention) is not ubiquitous for the detection of MRSA and suggest that some MRSA strains have sequences at the SCCmec right extremity junction which are different from those identified by Hiramatsu et al. other types of SCCmec sequences or other sequences at the right extremity of SCCmec (MREP type) are found in MRSA. A limitation of this assay is the non-specific detection of 13 MSSA strains (Table 2).

Example 2 Detection and Identification of MRSA Using Primers Specific to MREP Types i, ii and iii Sequences Developed in the Present Invention.

Based on analysis of multiple sequence alignments of orfX and SCCmec sequences described by Hiramatsu et al. or available from GenBank, a set of primers (SEQ ID NOs: 64, 66, 67) capable of amplifying short segments of types I, II and III of SCCmec-orfX right extremity junctions from MRSA strains and discriminating from MRCNS (Annex I and FIG. 2) were designed. The chosen set of primers gives amplification products of 176 bp for SCCmec type I, 278 pb for SCCmec type II and 223 bp for SCCmec type III and allows rapid PCR amplification. These primers were used in multiplex PCR to test their ubiquity and specificity using 208 MRSA strains, 252 MSSA strains, 41 MRCNS strains and 21 MRCNS strains (Table 12). The PCR amplification and detection was performed as described in Example 1. PCR reactions were then subjected to thermal cycling (3 minutes at 94° C. followed by 30 or 40 cycles of 1 second at 95° C. for the denaturation step and 30 seconds at 60° C. for the annealing-extension step, and then followed by a terminal extension of 2 minutes at 72° C.) using a standard thermocycler (PTC-200 from MJ Research Inc.). Detection of the PCR products was made as described in Examplel.

None of the MRCNS or MSCNS strains tested were detected with this set of primers (Table 12). However, the twenty MRSA strains which were not detected with the primer set developed by Hiramatsu et al. (SEQ ID NOs: 56, 58 and 60) were also not detected with the primers developed in the present invention (Tables 3 and 12). These data also demonstrate that some MRSA strains have sequences at the SCCmec-chromosome right extremity junction which are different from those identified by Hiramatsu et al. Again, as observed with the Hiramatsu primers, 13 MSSA strains were also detected non-specifically (Table 12). The clinical significance of this finding remains to be established since these apparent MSSA strains could be the result of a recent deletion in the mec locus (Deplano et al., 2000, J. Antimicrob. Chemotherapy, 46:617-619; Inglis et al., 1990, J. Gen. Microbiol., 136:2231-2239; Inglis et al., 1993, J. Infect. Dis., 167:323-328; Lawrence et al. 1996, J. Hosp. Infect., 33:49-53; Wada et al., 1991, Biochem. Biophys. Res. Comm., 176:1319-1326).

Example 3

Development of a Multiplex PCR Assay on a Standard Thermocycler for Detection and Identification of MRSA Based on MREP Types i, ii, iii, iv and v Sequences.

Upon analysis of two of the new MREP types iv and v sequence data described in the present invention, two new primers (SEQ ID NOs.: 79 and 80) were designed and used in multiplex with the three primers SEQ ID NOs.: 64, 66 and 67 described in Example 2. PCR amplification and detection of the PCR products was performed as described in Example 2. Sensitivity tests performed by using ten-fold or two-fold dilutions of purified genomic DNA from various MRSA strains of each MREP type showed a detection limit of 5 to 10 genome copies (Table 16). Specificity tests were performed using 0.1 ng of purified genomic DNA or 1 μl of a standardized bacterial suspension. All MRCNS or MSCNS strains tested were negative with this multiplex assay (Table 17). Twelve of the 20 MRSA strains which were not detected with the multiplex PCR described in Examples 1 and 2 were now detected with this multiplex assay. Again, as observed with the Hiramatsu primers, 13 MSSA strains were also detected non-specifically (Table 12). The eight MRSA strains (CCRI-9208, CCRI-9583, CCRI-9773, CCRI-9774, CCRI-9589, CCRI-9860, CCRI-9681, CCRI-9770) and which harbor the new MREP types vi, vii, viii, ix and x sequences described in the present invention remained undetectable.

Example 4

Development of a Real-Time Multiplex PCR Assay on the SMART CYCLER® for Detection and Identification of MRSA Based on MREP Types i, ii, iii, iv and v Sequences.

The multiplex PCR assay described in Example 3 containing primers (SEQ ID NOs.: 64, 66, 67, 79 and 80) was adapted to the SMART CYCLER® platform (Cepheid). A molecular beacon probe specific to the orfX sequence was developed (SEQ ID NO. 84, see Annex II). Each PCR reaction contained 50 mM KCl, 10 mM Tris-HCl (pH 9.0), 0.1% Triton X-100, 3.5 mM MgCl₂, 0.4 μM of each of the SCCmec- and orfX-specific primers (SEQ ID NOs.: 64, 66, 67, 79 and 80), 0.2 μM of the FAM-labeled molecular beacon probe (SEQ ID NO.: 84), 200 μM of each of the four dNTPs, 3.3 μg/μl of BSA, and 0.5 U Taq polymerase coupled with TaqStart™ Antibody. The PCR amplification on the SMART CYCLER® was performed as follows: 3 min. at 94° C. for initial denaturation, then forty-five cycles of three steps consisting of 5 seconds at 95° C. for the denaturation step, 15 seconds at 59° C. for the annealing step and 10 seconds at 72° C. for the extension step. Fluorescence detection was performed at the end of each annealing step. Sensitivity tests performed by using purified genomic DNA from several MRSA strains of each MREP type showed a detection limit of 2 to 10 genome copies (Table 18). None of the MRCNS or MSCNS were positive with this multiplex assay (Table 19). Again, as observed with the Hiramatsu primers, 13 MSSA strains were also detected non-specifically. Twelve of the twenty MRSA strains which were not detected with the multiplex PCR described in Examples 1 and 2 were detected by this multiplex assay. As described in Example 3, the eight MRSA strains which harbor the new MREP types vi, vii, viii, ix and x sequences described in the present invention remained undetectable.

Example 5

Development of a Real-Time Multiplex PCR Assay on the SMART CYLCER® for Detection and Identification of MRSA Based on MREP Types i, ii, iii, iv and v Sequences Including an Internal Control.

The multiplex PCR assay described in Example 4 containing primers specific to MREP types i to v and orfX of S. aureus (SEQ ID NOs.: 64, 66, 67, 79 and 80) and a molecular beacon probe specific to the orfX sequence (SEQ ID NO. 84, see Annex II) was optimized to include an internal control to monitor PCR inhibition. This internal control contains sequences complementary to MREP type iv- and orfX-specific primers (SEQ ID NOs. 79 and 64). The assay also contains a TET-labeled molecular beacon probe specific to sequence within the amplicon generated by amplification of the internal control. Each PCR reaction contained 50 mM KCl, 10 mM Tris-HCl (pH 9.0), 0.1% Triton X-100, 3.45 mM MgCl₂, 0.8 μM of each of the MREP-specific primers (SEQ ID NOs.: 66 and 67) and orfX-specific primer (SEQ ID NO.: 64), 0.4 μM of each of the MREP-specific primers (SEQ ID NOs.: 79 and 80), 80 copies of the internal control, 0.2 μM of the TET-labeled molecular beacon probe specific to the internal control, 0.2 μM of the FAM-labeled molecular beacon probe (SEQ ID NO.: 84), 330 μM of each of the four dNTPs (Pharmacia Biotech), 3.45 μg/μl of BSA (Sigma), and 0.875 U Taq polymerase (Promega) coupled with TaqStart™ Antibody (BD Biosciences). The PCR amplification on the SMART CYCLER® was performed as follows: 3 min. at 95° C. for initial denaturation, then forty-eight cycles of three steps consisting of 5 seconds at 95° C. for the denaturation step, 15 seconds at 60° C. for the annealing step and 15 seconds at 72° C. for the extension step. Sensitivity tests performed by using purified genomic DNA from one MRSA strain of each MREP type (i to v) showed a detection limit of 2 to 10 genome copies. None of the 26 MRCNS or 10 MSCNS were positive with this multiplex assay. Again, as observed with the Hiramatsu primers, 13 MSSA strains were also detected non-specifically. As described in Examples 3 and 4, the eight MRSA strains which harbor the new MREP types vi to x sequences described in the present invention remained undetectable.

Example 6

Detection of MRSA Using the Real-Time Multiplex Assay on the SMART CYLCER® Based on MREP Types i, ii, iii, iv and v Sequences Directly from Clinical Specimens.

The assay described in Example 5 was adapted for detection directly from clinical specimens. A total of 142 nasal swabs collected during a MRSA hospital surveillance program at the Montreal General Hospital (Montreal, Quebec, Canada) were tested. The swab samples were tested at the Centre de Recherche en Infectiologie de l'Université Laval within 24 hours of collection. Upon receipt, the swabs were plated onto mannitol agar and then the nasal material from the same swab was prepared with a simple and rapid specimen preparation protocol described in co-pending patent application No. U.S. 60/306,163. Classical identification of MRSA was performed by standard culture methods.

The PCR assay described in Example 5 detected 33 of the 34 samples positive for MRSA based on the culture method. As compared to culture, the PCR assay detected 8 additional MRSA positive specimens for a sensitivity of 97.1% and a specificity of 92.6%. This multiplex PCR assay represents a rapid and powerful method for the specific detection of MRSA carriers directly from nasal specimens and can be used with any type of clinical specimens such as wounds, blood or blood culture, CSF, etc.

Example 7

Development of a Real-Time Multiplex PCR Assay on the SMART CYCLER® for Detection and Identification of MRSA Based on MREP Types i, ii, iii, iv, v and vii Sequences.

Upon analysis of the new MREP type vii sequence data described in the present invention (SEQ ID NOs.:165 and 166), two new primers (SEQ ID NOs.: 112 and 113) were designed and tested in multiplex with the three primers SEQ ID NOs.: 64, 66 and 67 described in Example 2. Primer SEQ ID NO.: 112 was selected for use in the multiplex based on its sensitivity. Three molecular beacon probes specific to the orfX sequence which allowed detection of two sequence polymorphisms identified in this region of the orfX sequence, based on analysis of SEQ ID NOs.: 173-186, were also used in the multiplex (SEQ ID NOs.: 84, 163 and 164). Each PCR reaction contained 50 mM KCl, 10 mM Tris-HCl (pH 9.0), 0.1% Triton X-100, 3.45 mM MgCl₂, 0.8 μM of each of the SCCmec-specific primers (SEQ ID NOs.: 66 and 67) and orfX-specific primer (SEQ ID NO.: 64), 0.4 μM of each of the SCCmec-specific primers (SEQ ID NOs.: 79 and 80), 0.2 μM of the FAM-labeled molecular beacon probe (SEQ ID NO.: 84), 330 μM of each of the four dNTPs (Pharmacia Biotech), 3.45 μg/μl of BSA (Sigma), and 0.875 U of Taq polymerase (Promega) coupled with TaqStart™ Antibody (BD Biosciences). The PCR amplification on the SMART CYCLER® was performed as follows: 3 min. at 95° C. for initial denaturation, then forty-eight cycles of three steps consisting of 5 seconds at 95° C. for the denaturation step, 15 seconds at 60° C. for the annealing step and 15 seconds at 72° C. for the extension step. The detection of fluorescence was done at the end of each annealing step. Sensitivity tests performed by using purified genomic DNA from several MRSA strains of each MREP type showed a detection limit of 2 genome copies (Table 20). None of the 26 MRCNS or 8 MSCNS were positive with this multiplex assay. Again, as observed with the Hiramatsu primers, 13 MSSA strains were also detected non-specifically (Table 21). Four of the strains which were not detected with the multiplex assay for the detection of MREP types i to v were now detected with this multiplex assay while the four MRSA strains (CCRI-9208, CCRI-9770, CCRI-9681, CCRI-9860) which harbor the MREP types vi, viii, ix and x described in the present invention remained undetectable.

Example 8

Development of Real-Time PCR Assays on the SMART CYCLER® for Detection and Identification of MRSA Based on MREP Types vi, viii, ix.

Upon analysis of the new MREP types vi, viii and ix sequence data described in the present invention, one new primers specific to MREP type vi (SEQ ID NO.: 201), one primer specific to MREP type viii (SEQ ID NO.: 115), a primer specific to MREP type ix (SEQ ID NO.: 109) and a primer specific to both MREP types viii and ix (SEQ ID NO.: 116) were designed. Each PCR primer was used in combination with the orfX-specific primer (SEQ ID NO.: 64) and tested against its specific target strain. Each PCR reaction contained 50 mM KCl, 10 mM Tris-HCl (pH 9.0), 0.1% Triton X-100, 3.45 mM MgCl₂, 0.4 μM of each of the SCCmec- and orfX-specific primers, 200 μM of each of the four dNTPs, 3.4 μg/μl of BSA, and 0.875 U Taq polymerase coupled with TaqStart™ Antibody. The PCR amplification was performed as described en Example 7. Sensitivity tests performed by using genomic DNA purified from their respective MRSA target strains showed that the best primer pair combination was SEQ ID NOs.: 64 and 115 for the detection of MREP types viii and ix simultaneously. These new SCCmec-specific primers may be used in multiplex with primers specific to MREP types i, ii, ii, iv, v and vii (SEQ ID NOs.: 64, 66, 67, 79 and 80) described in previous examples to provide a more ubiquitous MRSA assay.

In conclusion, we have improved the ubiquity of detection of MRSA strains. New MREJ types iv to x have been identified. Amongst strains representative of these new types, Hiramitsu's primers and/or probes succeeded in detecting less than 50% thereof. We have therefore amply passed the bar of at least 50% ubiquity, since our primers and probes were designed to detect 100% of the strains tested as representatives of MREJ types iv to ix. Therefore, although ubiquity depends on the pool of strains and representatives that are under analysis, we know now that close to 100% ubiquity is an attainable goal, when using the sequences of the right junctions (MREJ) to derive probes and primers dealing with polymorphism in this region. Depending on how many unknown types of MREJ exist, we have a margin of maneuver going from 50% (higher than Hiramatsu's primers for the tested strains) to 100% if we sequence all the existing MREJs to derive properly the present diagnostic tools and methods, following the above teachings.

This invention has been described herein above, and it is readily apparent that modifications can be made thereto without departing from the spirit of this invention. These modifications are under the scope of this invention, as defined in the appended claims.

TABLE 1 PCR amplification primers reported by Hiramatsu et al. in U.S. Pat. No. 6,156,507 found in the sequence listing SEQ ID NO.: SEQ ID NO.: (present (U.S. Pat. No. invention) Target Position^(a,b) 6,156,507) 52 MREP types i and ii  480 18 53 MREP types i and ii  758 19 54 MREP types i and ii  927 20 55 MREP types i and ii 1154 21 56 MREP types i and ii 1755 22 57 MREP types i and ii 2302 23 58 MREP type iii  295^(c) 24 59 orfX 1664 25 60 orfSA0022^(d) 3267 28 61 orfSA0022^(d) 3585 27 62 orfX 1389 26 63 orfSA0022^(d) 2957 29 ^(a)Position refers to nucleotide position of the 5′ end of primer. ^(b)Numbering for SEQ ID NOs.: 52-57 refers to SEQ ID NO.: 2; numbering for SEQ ID NO.: 58 refers to SEQ ID NO.: 4; numbering for SEQ ID NOs.: 59-63 refers to SEQ ID NO.: 3. ^(c)Primer is reverse-complement of target sequence. ^(d)orfSA0022 refers to the open reading frame designation from GenBank accession number AP003129 (SEQ ID NO.: 231).

TABLE 2 Specificity and ubiquity tests performed on a standard thermocycler using the optimal set of primers described by Hiramatsu et al. (SEQ ID NOs.: 22, 24 and 28 in U.S. Pat. No. 6,156,507 corresponding to SEQ ID NOs.: 56, 58 and 60, respectively, in the present invention) for the detection of MRSA PCR results for SCCmec - orfX right extremity junction Strains Positive (%) Negative (%) MRSA - 39 strains 19 (48.7) 20 (51.2) MSSA - 41 strains 13 (31.7) 28 (68.3) MRCNS - 9 strains* 0 (0%) 9 (100%) MSCNS - 11 strains* 0 (0%) 11 (100%) *Details regarding CNS strains: MRCNS: S. caprae (1) S. cohni cohnii (1) S. epidermidis (1) S. haemolyticus (2) S. hominis (1) S. sciuri (1) S. simulans (1) S. warneri (1) MSCNS: S. cohni cohnii (1) S. epidermidis (1) S. equorum (1) S. gallinarum (1) S. haemolyticus (1) S. lentus (1) S. lugdunensis (1) S. saccharolyticus (1) S. saprophyticus (2) S. xylosus (1)

TABLE 3 Origin of MRSA strains not amplifiable using primers developed by Hiramatsu et al. (SEQ ID NOs.: 22, 24 and 28 in U.S. Pat. No. 6,156,507 corresponding to SEQ ID NOs.: 56, 58 and 60, respectively, in the present invention) as well as primers developed in the present invention targeting MREP types i, ii and iii (SEQ ID NOs.: 64, 66 and 67) Staphylococcus aureus strain designation: Original CCRI^(a) Origin ATCC BAA-40^(b) CCRI-9504 Portugal ATCC 33592 CCRI-178 USA R991282 CCRI-2025 Québec, Canada 4508 CCRI-9208 Québec, Canada 19121 CCRI-8895 Denmark Z109 CCRI-8903 Denmark 45302 CCRI-1263 Ontario, Canada R655 CCRI-1324 Québec, Canada MA 50428 CCRI-1311 Québec, Canada MA 50609 CCRI-1312 Québec, Canada MA 51363 CCRI-1331 Québec, Canada MA 51561 CCRI-1325 Québec, Canada 14A0116 CCR1-9681 Poland 23 (CCUG 41787) CCRI-9860 Sweden SE26-1 CCRI-9770 Ontario, Canada SE1-1 CCRI-9583 Ontario, Canada ID-61880^(c) CCRI-9589 Ontario, Canada SE47-1 CCRI-9773 Ontario, Canada SE49-1 CCRI-9774 Ontario, Canada 39795-2 CCRI-1377 Québec, Canada ^(a)CCRI stands for “Collection of the Centre de Recherche en Infectiologie”. ^(b)Portuguese clone. ^(c)Canadian clone EMRSA1.

TABLE 4 Staphylococcus aureus MREJ nucleotide sequences revealed in the present invention Staphylococcus aureus SEQ strain designation: ID NO. Original CCRI^(a) Genetic Target 27 R991282 CCRI-2025 mecA 28 45302 CCRI-1263 mecA 29 MA 50428 CCRI-1311 mecA 30 MA 51363 CCRI-1331 mecA 31 39795-2 CCRI-1377 mecA and 1.5 kb of downstream region 42 ATCC 33592 CCRI-178 MREP type iv 43 19121 CCRI-8895 MREP type iv 44 Z109 CCRI-8903 MREP type iv 45 R655 CCRI-1324 MREP type iv 46 MA 51363 CCRI-1331 MREP type iv 47 45302 CCRI-1263 MREP type v 48 39795-2 CCRI-1377 MREP type v 49 MA 50428 CCRI-1311 MREP type v 50 R991282 CCRI-2025 MREP type v 51 ATCC BAA-40 CCRI-9504 MREP type iv 165 SE1-1 CCRI-9583 MREP type vii 166 ID-61880 CCRI-9589 MREP type vii 167 23 (CCUG 41787) CCRI-9860 MREP type viii 168 14A016 CCRI-9681 MREP type ix 171 4508 CCRI-9208 MREP type vi 172 SE26-1 CCRI-9770 orfSA0021^(b) and 75 bp of orfSA0022^(b) 173 26 (98/10618) CCRI-9864 MREP type ii 174 27 (98/26821) CCRI-9865 MREP type ii 175 28 (24344) CCRI-9866 MREP type ii 176 12 (62305) CCRI-9867 MREP type ii 177 22 (90/14719) CCRI-9868 MREP type ii 178 23 (98/14719) CCRI-9869 MREP type ii 179 32 (97S99) CCRI-9871 MREP type ii 180 33 (97S100) CCRI-9872 MREP type ii 181 38 (825/96) CCRI-9873 MREP type ii 182 39 (842/96) CCRI-9874 MREP type ii 183 43 (N8-892/99) CCRI-9875 MREP type ii 184 46 (9805-0137) CCRI-9876 MREP type iii 185 1 CCRI-9882 MREP type ii 186 29 CCRI-9885 MREP type ii 189 SE1-1 CCRI-9583 mecA and 2.2 kb of downstream region, including IS431mec 190 ATCC BAA-40 CCRI-9504 mecA and 1.5 kb of downstream region 191 4508 CCRI-9208 mecA and 0.9 kb of downstream region 192 ID-61880 CCRI-9589 mecA and 0.9 kb of downstream region 193 14A016 CCRI-9681 mecA and 0.9 kb of downstream region 195 SE26-1 CCRI-9770 mecA and 1.5 kb of downstream region, including IS431mec 197 ATCC 43300 CCRI-175 MREP type ii 198 R522 CCRI-1262 MREP type iii 199 13370 CCRI-8894 MREP type i 219 ATCC BAA-40 CCRI-9504 tetK Staphylococcus aureus SEQ strain designation: ID NO. Original CCRI^(b) Genetic Target^(a) 220 MA 51363 CCRI-1331 mecA and 1.5 kb of downstream region 221 39795-2 CCRI-1377 IS431mec and 0.6 kb of upstream region 222 R991282 CCRI-2025 mecA and 1.5 kb of downstream region 223 R991282 CCRI-2025 IS431mec and 0.6 kb of upstream region 224 23 (CCUG 41787) CCRI-9860 mecA and 1.5 kb of downstream region 225 23 (CCUG 41787) CCRI-9860 IS431mec and 0.6 kb of upstream region 233 14A016 CCRI-9681 MREP type ix ^(a)CCRI stands for “Collection of the Centre de Recherche en Infectiologie”. ^(b)orfSA0021 and orfSA0022 refer to the open reading frame designation from GenBank accession number AP003129 (SEQ ID NO.: 231).

TABLE 5 PCR primers developed in the present invention Originating DNA SEQ SEQ ID NO. Target Position^(a) ID NO. 64 orfX 1720 3 70 orfX 1796 3 71 orfX 1712 3 72 orfX 1749 3 73 orfX 1758 3 74 orfX 1794 3 75 orfX 1797 3 76 orfX 1798 3 66 MREP types i and ii 2327 2 100 MREP types i and ii 2323 2 101 MREP types i and ii 2314 2 97 MREP type ii 2434 2 99 MREP type ii 2434 2 67 MREP type iii   207^(b) 4 98 MREP type iii   147^(b) 4 102 MREP type iii   251^(b) 4 79 MREP type iv   74^(b) 43 80 MREP type v   50^(b) 47 109 MREP type ix   652^(b) 168 204 MREP type vi   642^(b) 171 112 MREP type vii   503^(b) 165 113 MREP type vii   551^(b) 165 115 MREP type viii   514^(b) 167 116 MREP type viii   601^(b) 167 ^(a)Position refers to nucleotide position of 5′ end of primer. ^(b)Primer is reverse-complement of target sequence.

TABLE 6 Molecular beacon probes developed in the present invention SEQ ID NO. Target Position 32 orfX 86^(a)   83 orfX 86^(a)   84 orfX 34^(a, b) 160 orfX 55^(a, b) 161 orfX 34^(a, b) 162 orfX 114^(a)    163 orfX 34^(a, b) 164 orfX 34^(a, b) ^(a)Position refers to nucleotide position of the 5′ end of the molecular beacon's loop on SEQ ID NO.: 3. ^(b)Sequence of molecular beacon's loop is reverse-complement of SEQ ID NO.: 3.

TABLE 7 Length of amplicons obtained with the different primer pairs which are objects of the present invention SEQ ID NO. Target^(d) Amplicon length^(a) 59/52^(b) orfX/MREP type i and ii 2079 (type i); 2181 (type ii) 59/53^(b) orfX/MREP type i and ii 1801 (type i); 1903 (type ii) 59/54^(b) orfX/MREP type i and ii 1632 (type i); 1734 (type ii) 59/55^(b) orfX/MREP type i and ii 1405 (type i); 1507 (type ii) 59/56^(b) orfX/MREP type i and ii 804 (type i); 906 (type ii) 59/57^(b) orfX/MREP type i and ii 257 (type i); 359 (type ii) 60/52^(b) orfSA0022/MREP type i and ii 2794 (type i); 2896 (type ii) 60/53^(b) orfSA0022/MREP type i and ii 2516 (type i); 2618 (type ii) 60/54^(b) orfSA0022/MREP type i and ii 2347 (type i); 2449 (type ii) 60/55^(b) orfSA0022/MREP type i and ii 2120 (type i); 2222 (type ii) 60/56^(b) orfSA0022/MREP type i and ii 1519 (type i); 1621 (type ii) 60/57^(b) orfSA0022/MREP type i and ii  972 (type i); 1074 (type ii) 61/52^(b) orfSA0022/MREP type i and ii 2476 (type i); 2578 (type ii) 61/53^(b) orfSA0022/MREP type i and ii 2198 (type i); 2300 (type ii) 61/54^(b) orfSA0022/MREP type i and ii 2029 (type i); 2131 (type ii) 61/55^(b) orfSA0022/MREP type i and ii 1802 (type i); 1904 (type ii) 61/56^(b) orfSA0022/MREP type i and ii 1201 (type i); 1303 (type ii) 61/57^(b) orfSA0022/MREP type i and ii 654 (type i); 756 (type ii) 62/52^(b) orfX/MREP type i and ii 2354 (type i); 2456 (type ii) 62/53^(b) orfX/MREP type i and ii 2076 (type i); 2178 (type ii) 62/54^(b) orfX/MREP type i and ii 1907 (type i); 2009 (type ii) 62/55^(b) orfX/MREP type i and ii 1680 (type i); 1782 (type ii) 62/56^(b) orfX/MREP type i and ii 1079 (type i); 1181 (type ii) 62/57^(b) orfX/MREP type i and ii 532 (type i); 634 (type ii) 63/52^(b) orfSA0022/MREP type i and ii 3104 (type i); 3206 (type ii) 63/53^(b) orfSA0022/MREP type i and ii 2826 (type i); 2928 (type ii) 63/54^(b) orfSA0022/MREP type i and ii 2657 (type i); 2759 (type ii) 63/55^(b) orfSA0022/MREP type i and ii 2430 (type i); 2532 (type ii) 63/56^(b) orfSA0022/MREP type i and ii 1829 (type i); 1931 (type ii) 63/57^(b) orfSA0022/MREP type i and ii 1282 (type i); 1384 (type ii) 59/58^(b) orfX/MREP type iii 361 60/58^(b) orfSA0022/MREP type iii 1076  61/58^(b) orfSA0022/MREP type iii 758 62/58^(b) orfX/MREP type iii 656 63/58^(b) orfSA0022/MREP type iii 1386  70/66  orfX/MREP type i and ii 100 (type i); 202 (type ii) 70/67  orfX/MREP type iii 147 (type iii) 64/66^(c) orfX/MREP type i and ii 176 (type i); 278 (type ii) 64/67^(c) orfX/MREP type iii 223 64/79^(c) orfX/MREP type iv 215 64/80^(c) orfX/MREP type v 196 64/97^(c) orfX/MREP type ii 171 64/98^(c) orfX/MREP type iii 163 64/99^(c) orfX/MREP type ii 171  64/100^(c) orfX/MREP types i and ii 180 (type i); 282 (type ii)  64/101^(c) orfX/MREP types i and ii 189 (type i); 291 (type ii)  64/102^(c) orfX/MREP type iii 263  64/109^(c) orfX/MREP type ix 369  64/204^(c) orfX/MREP type vi 348  64/112^(c) orfX/MREP type vii 214  64/113^(c) orfX/MREP type vii 263  64/115^(c) orfX/MREP type viii 227  64/116^(c) orfX/MREP type viii 318 ^(a)Amplicon length is given in base pairs for MREP types amplified by the set of primers. ^(b)Set of primers described by Hiramatsu et al. in U.S. Pat. No. 6,156,507. ^(c)Set of primers developed in the present invention. ^(d)orfSA0022 refers to the open reading frame designation from GenBank accession number AP003129 (SEQ ID NO.: 231).

TABLE 8 Other primers developed in the present invention Originating DNA SEQ SEQ ID NO. Target Position^(a) ID NO. 77 MREP type iv 993 43 65 MREP type v 636 47 70 orfX 1796  3 68 IS431 626 92 69 mecA 1059  78 96 mecA 1949  78 81 mecA 1206  78 114 MREP type vii  629^(b) 165 117 MREP type ii 856 194 118 MREP type ii  974^(b) 194 119 MREP type vii 404 189 120 MREP type vii  477^(b) 189 123 MREP type vii 551 165 124 MREP type ii 584 170 125 MREP type ii  689^(b) 170 126 orfSA0021 336 231 127 orfSA0021 563 231 128 orfSA0022^(d) 2993  231 129 orfSA0022^(d) 3467^(b)   231 132 orfX 3700  231 145 MREP type iv 988 51 146 MREP type v 1386  51 147 MREP type iv  891^(b) 51 148 MREP type ix 664 168 149 MREP type ix  849^(b) 168 150 MREP type vii 1117^(b)   165 151 MREP type vii 1473  189 152 IS431mec 1592^(b)   189 154 MREP type v  996^(b) 50 155 MREP type v 935 50 156 tetK from plasmid pT181 1169^(b)   228 157 tetK from plasmid pT181 136 228 158 orfX 2714^(b)   2 159 orfX 2539  2 187 MREP type viii  967^(b) 167 188 MREP type viii 851 167 ^(a)Position refers to nucleotide position of the 5′ end of primer. ^(b)Primer is reverse-complement of target sequence.

TABLE 9 Amplification and/or sequencing primers developed in the present invention Originating DNA SEQ SEQ ID NO. Target Position^(a) ID NO. 85 S. aureus chromosome  197^(b) 35 86 S. aureus chromosome  198^(b) 37 87 S. aureus chromosome  197^(b) 38 88 S. aureus chromosome 1265^(b)   39 89 S. aureus chromosome 1892  3 103 orfX 1386  3 105 MREP type i 2335  2 106 MREP type ii 2437  2 107 MREP type iii  153^(b) 4 108 MREP type iii  153^(b) 4 121 MREP type vii 1150  165 122 MREP type vii 1241^(b)   165 130 orfX 4029^(b)   231 131 region between orfSA0022 3588  231 and orfSA0023^(d) 133 merB from plasmid pI258 262 226 134 merB from plasmid pI258  539^(b) 226 135 merR from plasmid pI258 564 226 136 merR from plasmid pI258 444 227 137 merR from plasmid pI258 529 227 138 merR from plasmid pI258  530^(b) 227 139 rep from plasmid pUB110 796 230 140 rep from plasmid pUB110  761^(b) 230 141 rep from plasmid pUB110 600 230 142 aadD from plasmid pUB110 1320^(b)   229 143 aadD from plasmid pUB110 759 229 144 aadD from plasmid pUB110 646 229 153 MREP type vii 1030  165 200 orfSA0022^(d)  871^(c) 231 201 orfSA0022^(d) 1006  231 202 MREP type vi 648 171 203 MREP type vi  883^(b) 171 205 MREP type ix 1180  168 206 MREP type ix 1311^(b)   233 207 MREP type viii 1337  167 208 MREP type viii 1441^(b)   167 209 ccrA 184 232 210 ccrA 385 232 211 ccrA  643^(b) 232 212 ccrA 1282^(b)   232 213 ccrB 1388  232 214 ccrB 1601  232 215 ccrB 2139^(b)   232 216 ccrB 2199^(b)   232 217 ccrB 2847^(b)   232 218 ccrB 2946^(b)   232 ^(a)Position refers to nucleotide position of the 5′ end of primer. ^(b)Primer is reverse-complement of target sequence. ^(c)Primer contains two mismatches. ^(d)orfSA0022 and orfSA0023 refer to the open reading frame designation from GenBank accession number AP003129 (SEQ ID NO.: 231).

TABLE 10 Origin of the nucleic acids and/or sequences available from public databases found in the sequence listing SEQ Staphylococcal Accession ID NO. strain Source number Genetic Target^(a, b) 1 NCTC 10442 Database AB033763 SCCmec type I MREJ 2 N315 Database D86934 SCCmec type II MREJ 3 NCTC 8325 Database AB014440 MSSA chromosome 4 86/560 Database AB013471 SCCmec type III MREJ 5 86/961 Database AB013472 SCCmec type III MREJ 6 85/3907 Database AB013473 SCCmec type III MREJ 7 86/2652 Database AB013474 SCCmec type III MREJ 8 86/1340 Database AB013475 SCCmec type III MREJ 9 86/1762 Database AB013476 SCCmec type III MREJ 10 86/2082 Database AB013477 SCCmec type III MREJ 11 85/2111 Database AB013478 SCCmec type III MREJ 12 85/5495 Database AB013479 SCCmec type III MREJ 13 85/1836 Database AB013480 SCCmec type III MREJ 14 85/2147 Database AB013481 SCCmec type III MREJ 15 85/3619 Database AB013482 SCCmec type III MREJ 16 85/3566 Database AB013483 SCCmec type III MREJ 17 85/2232 Database AB014402 SCCmec type II MREJ 18 85/2235 Database AB014403 SCCmec type II MREJ 19 MR108 Database AB014404 SCCmec type II MREJ 20 85/9302 Database AB014430 SCCmec type I MREJ 21 85/9580 Database AB014431 SCCmec type I MREJ 22 85/1940 Database AB014432 SCCmec type I MREJ 23 85/6219 Database AB014433 SCCmec type I MREJ 24 64/4176 Database AB014434 SCCmec type I MREJ 25 64/3846 Database AB014435 SCCmec type I MREJ 26 HUC19 Database AF181950 SCCmec type II MREJ 33 G3 U.S. Pat. No. 6,156,507 SEQ ID NO.: 15 S. epidermidis SCCmec type II MREJ 34 SH 518 U.S. Pat. No. 6,156,507 SEQ ID NO.: 16 S. haemolyticus SCCmec type II MREJ 35 ATCC 25923 U.S. Pat. No. 6,156,507 SEQ ID NO.: 9 S. aureus chromosome 36 STP23 U.S. Pat. No. 6,156,507 SEQ ID NO.: 10 S. aureus chromosome 37 STP43 U.S. Pat. No. 6,156,507 SEQ ID NO.: 12 S. aureus chromosome 38 STP53 U.S. Pat. No. 6,156,507 SEQ ID NO.: 13 S. aureus chromosome 39 476 Genome project^(c) S. aureus chromosome 40 252 Genome project^(c) SCCmec type II MREJ 41 COL Genome project^(d) SCCmec type I MREJ 78 NCTC 8325 Database X52593 mecA 82 NCTC 10442 Database AB033763 mecA 90 N315 Database D86934 mecA 91 85/2082 Database AB037671 mecA 92 NCTC 10442 Database AB033763 IS431 93 N315 Database D86934 IS431 94 HUC19 Database AF181950 IS431 95 NCTC 8325 Database X53818 IS431 104 85/2082 Database AB037671 SCCmec type III MREJ 226 unknown Database L29436 merB on plasmid pI258 227 unknown Database L29436 merR on plasmid pI258 228 unknown Database S67449 tetK on plasmid pT181 229 HUC19 Database AF181950 aadD on plasmid pUB110 230 HUC19 Database AF181950 rep on plasmid pUB110 231 N315 Database AP003129 orfSA0021, orfSA0022, orfSA0023 232 85/2082 Database AB037671 ccrA/ccrB ^(a)MREJ refers to mec right extremity junction and includes sequences from SCCmec-right extremity and chromosomal DNA to the right of SCCmec integration site. ^(b)Unless otherwise specified, all sequences were obtained from S. aureus strains. ^(c)Sanger Institute genome project (http://www.sanger.ac.uk). ^(d)TIGR genome project (http://www.tigr.org).

TABLE 11 Analytical sensitivity of the MRSA-specific PCR assay targeting MREP types i, ii and iii on a standard thermocycler using the set of primers developed in the present invention (SEQ ID NOs.: 64, 66 and 67) Strain designation: Detection limit Original CCRI^(a) (MREP type) (number of genome copies) 13370 CCRI-8894 (I) 5 ATCC 43300 CCRI-175 (II) 2 35290 CCRI-1262 (III) 2 ^(a)CCRI stands for “Collection of the Centre de Recherche en Infectiologie”.

TABLE 12 Specificity and ubiquity tests performed on a standard thermocycler using the set of primers targeting MREP types i, ii and iii developed in the present invention (SEQ ID NOs.: 64, 66 and 67) for the detection of MRSA PCR results for MREJ Strains Positive (%) Negative (%) MRSA - 208 strains 188 (90.4) 20 (9.6) MSSA - 252 strains 13 (5.2) 239 (94.8) MRCNS - 41 strains* 0 42 (100) MSCNS - 21 strains* 0 21 (100) *Details regarding CNS strains: MRCNS: S. caprae (2) S. cohni cohnii (3) S. cohni urealyticum (4) S. epidermidis (8) S. haemolyticus (9) S. hominis (4) S. sciuri (4) S. sciuri sciuri (1) S. simulans (3) S. warneri (3) MSCNS: S. cohni cohnii (1) S. epidermidis (3) S. equorum (2) S. felis (1) S. gallinarum (1) S. haemolyticus (1) S. hominis (1) S. lentus (1) S. lugdunensis (1) S. saccharolyticus (1) S. saprophyticus (5) S. simulans (1) S. warneri (1) S. xylosus (1)

TABLE 13 Percentage of sequence identity for the first 500 nucleotides of SCCmec right extremities between all 9 types of MREP^(a,b) MREP type i ii iii iv v vi vii viii ix i — 79.2 42.8 42.8 41.2 44.4 44.6 42.3 42.1 ii 43.9 47.5 44.7 41.7 45.0 52.0 57.1 iii 46.8 44.5 42.9 45.0 42.8 45.2 iv 45.8 41.4 44.3 48.0 41.3 v 45.4 43.7 47.5 44.3 vi 45.1 41.1 47.2 vii 42.8 40.9 viii 55.2 ix — ^(a)“First 500 nucleotides” refers to the 500 nucleotides within the SCCmec right extremity, starting from the integration site of SCCmec in the Staphylococcus aureus chromosome as shown on FIG. 4. ^(b)Sequences were extracted from SEQ ID NOs.: 1, 2, 104, 51, 50, 171, 165, 167, and 168 for types i to ix, respectively.

TABLE 14 Reference strains used to test sensitivity and/or specificity and/or ubiquity of the MRSA-specific PCR assays targeting MREJ sequences Staphylococcal species Strains Source^(a) MRSA (n = 45) 33591 ATCC 33592 ATCC 33593 ATCC BAA-38 ATCC BAA-39 ATCC BAA-40 ATCC BAA-41 ATCC BAA-42 ATCC BAA-43 ATCC BAA-44 ATCC F182 CDC 23 (CCUG 41787) HARMONY Collection ID-61880 (EMRSA1) LSPQ MA 8628 LSPQ MA 50558 LSPQ MA 50428 LSPQ MA 50609 LSPQ MA 50884 LSPQ MA 50892 LSPQ MA 50934 LSPQ MA 51015 LSPQ MA 51056 LSPQ MA 51085 LSPQ MA 51172 LSPQ MA 51222 LSPQ MA 51363 LSPQ MA 51561 LSPQ MA 52034 LSPQ MA 52306 LSPQ MA 51520 LSPQ MA 51363 LSPQ 98/10618 HARMONY Collection 98/26821 HARMONY Collection 24344 HARMONY Collection 62305 HARMONY Collection 90/10685 HARMONY Collection 98/14719 HARMONY Collection 97S99 HARMONY Collection 97S100 HARMONY Collection 825/96 HARMONY Collection 842/96 HARMONY Collection N8-890/99 HARMONY Collection 9805-01937 HARMONY Collection 1 Kreiswirth-1 29 Kreiswirth-1 MRCNS (n = 4) 29060 ATCC 35983 ATCC 35984 ATCC 2514 LSPQ MSSA (n = 28) MA 52263 LSPQ 6538 ATCC 13301 ATCC 25923 ATCC 27660 ATCC 29213 ATCC 29247 ATCC 29737 ATCC RN 11 CDC RN 3944 CDC RN 2442 CDC 7605060113 CDC BM 4611 Institut Pasteur BM 3093 Institut Pasteur 3511 LSPQ MA 5091 LSPQ MA 8849 LSPQ MA 8871 LSPQ MA 50607 LSPQ MA 50612 LSPQ MA 50848 LSPQ MA 51237 LSPQ MA 51351 LSPQ MA 52303 LSPQ MA 51828 LSPQ MA 51891 LSPQ MA 51504 LSPQ MA 52535 LSPQ MA 52783 LSPQ MSCNS (n = 17) 12228 ATCC 14953 ATCC 14990 ATCC 15305 ATCC 27836 ATCC 27848 ATCC 29070 ATCC 29970 ATCC 29974 ATCC 35539 ATCC 35552 ATCC 35844 ATCC 35982 ATCC 43809 ATCC 43867 ATCC 43958 ATCC 49168 ATCC ^(a)ATCC stands for “American Type Culture Collection”. LSPQ stands for “Laboratoire de Santé Publique du Québec”. CDC stands for “Center for Disease Control and Prevention”.

TABLE 15 Clinical isolates used to test the sensitivity and/or specificity and/or ubiquity of the MRSA- specific PCR assays targeting MREJ sequences Staphylococcal Number of species strains Source MRSA (n = 177) 150 Canada 10 China 10 Denmark 9 Argentina 1 Egypt 1 Sweden 1 Poland 3 Japan 1 France MSSA (n = 224) 208 Canada 10 China 4 Japan 1 USA 1 Argentina MRCNS (n = 38) 32 Canada 3 China 1 France 1 Argentina 1 USA MSCNS (n = 17) 14 UK 3 Canada

TABLE 16 Analytical sensitivity of tests performed on a standard thermocycler using the set of primers targeting MREP types i, ii, iii, iv and v (SEQ ID NOs.: 64, 66, 67, 79 and 80) developed in the present invention for the detection and identification of MRSA Staphylococcus aureus strain designation: Detection limit Original CCRI^(a) (MREP type) (number of genome copies) 13370 CCRI-8894 (i) 10 ATCC 43300 CCRI-175 (ii) 5 9191 CCRI-2086 (ii) 10 35290 CCRI-1262 (iii) 5 352 CCRI-1266 (iii) 10 19121 CCRI-8895 (iv) 5 ATCC 33592 CCRI-178 (iv) 5 MA 50428 CCRI-1311 (v) 5 R991282 CCRI-2025 (v) 5 ^(a)CCRI stands for “Collection of the Centre de Recherche en Infectiologie”.

TABLE 17 Specificity and ubiquity tests performed on a standard thermocycler using the set of primers targeting MREP types i, ii, iii, iv and v (SEQ ID NO.: 64, 66, 67, 79 and 80) developed in the present invention for the detection and identification of MRSA PCR results for SCCmec - orfX right extremity junction Strains Positive (%) Negative (%) MRSA - 35 strains^(a) 27 (77.1) 8 (22.9) MSSA - 44 strains 13 (29.5) 31 (70.5) MRCNS - 9 strains* 0 9 (100) MSCNS - 10 strains* 0 10 (100) ^(a)MRSA strains include the 20 strains listed in Table 3. *Details regarding CNS strains: MRCNS: S. caprae (1) S. cohni cohnii (1) S. epidermidis (1) S. haemolyticus (2) S. hominis (1) S. sciuri (1) S. simulans (1) S. warneri (1) MSCNS: S. cohni (1) S. epidermidis (1) S. equorum (1) S. haemolyticus (1) S. lentus (1) S. lugdunensis (1) S. saccharolyticus (1) S. saprophyticus (2) S. xylosus (1)

TABLE 18 Analytical sensitivity of tests performed on the SMART CYCLER ® thermocycler using the set of primers targeting MREP types i, ii, iii, iv and v (SEQ ID NOs.: 64, 66, 67, 79 and 80) and molecular beacon probe (SEQ ID NO.: 84) developed in the present invention for the detection and identification of MRSA Staphylococcus aureus strain designation: Detection limit Original CCRI^(a) (MREP type) (number of genome copies) 13370 CCRI-8894 (i) 2 ATCC 43300 CCRI-175 (ii) 2 9191 CCRI-2086 (ii) 10 35290 CCRI-1262 (iii) 2 352 CCRI-1266 (iii) 10 ATCC 33592 CCRI-178 (iv) 2 MA 51363 CCRI-1331 (iv) 5 19121 CCRI-8895 (iv) 10 Z109 CCRI-8903 (iv) 5 45302 CCRI-1263 (v) 10 MA 50428 CCRI-1311 (v) 5 MA 50609 CCRI-1312 (v) 5 MA 51651 CCRI-1325 (v) 10 39795-2 CCRI-1377 (v) 10 R991282 CCRI-2025 (v) 2 ^(a)CCRI stands for “Collection of the Centre de Recherche en Infectiologie”.

TABLE 19 Specificity and ubiquity tests performed on the SMART CYCLER ® thermocycler using the set of primers targeting MREP types i, ii, iii, iv and v (SEQ ID NO.: 64, 66, 67, 79 and 80) and molecular beacon probe (SEQ ID NO.: 84) developed in the present invention for the detection of MRSA PCR results for MREJ Strains Positive (%) Negative (%) MRSA - 29 strains^(a) 21 (72.4) 8 (27.6) MSSA - 35 strains 13 (37.1) 22 (62.9) MRCNS - 14 strains 0 14 (100) MSCNS - 10 strains 0 10 (100) ^(a)MRSA strains include the 20 strains listed in Table 3. Details regarding CNS strains: MRCNS: S. epidermidis (1) S. haemolyticus (5) S. simulans (5) S. warneri (3) MSCNS: S. cohni cohnii (1) S. epidermidis (1) S. gallinarum (1) S. haemolyticus (1) S. lentus (1) S. lugdunensis (1) S. saccharolyticus (1) S. saprophyticus (2) S. xylosus (1)

TABLE 20 Analytical sensitivity of tests performed on the SMART CYCLER ® thermocycler using the set of primers targeting MREP types i, ii, iii, iv, v and vii (SEQ ID NOs.: 64, 66, 67, 79 and 80) and molecular beacon probe (SEQ ID NO.: 84) developed in the present invention for the detection and identification of MRSA Staphylococcus aureus strain designation: Detection limit Original CCRI^(a) (MREP type) (number of genome copies) 13370 CCRI-8894 (i) 2 ATCC 43300 CCRI-175 (ii) 2 35290 CCRI-1262 (iii) 2 ATCC 33592 CCRI-178 (iv) 2 R991282 CCRI-2025 (v) 2 SE-41-1 CCRI-9771 (vii) 2 ^(a)CCRI stands for “Collection of the Centre de Recherche en Infectiologie”.

TABLE 21 Specificity and ubiquity tests performed on the SMART CYCLER ® thermocycler using the set of primers targeting MREP types i, ii, iii, iv, vi and vii (SEQ ID NOs.: 64, 66, 67, 79 and 80) and molecular beacon probe (SEQ ID NO.: 84) developed in the present invention for the detection and identification of MRSA PCR results for MREJ Strains Positive (%) Negative (%) MRSA - 23 strains^(a) 19 (82.6) 4 (17.4) MSSA - 25 strains 13 (52) 12 (48) MRCNS - 26 strains 0 26 (100) MSCNS - 8 strains 0 8 (100) ^(a)MRSA strains include the 20 strains listed in Table 3. Details regarding CNS strains: MRCNS: S. capitis (2) S. caprae (1) S. cohnii (1) S. epidermidis (9) S. haemolyticus (5) S. hominis (2) S. saprophyticus (1) S. sciuri (2) S. simulans (1) S. warneri (2) MSCNS: S. cohni cohnii (1) S. epidermidis (1) S. haemolyticus (1) S. lugdunensis (1) S. saccharolyticus (1) S. saprophyticus (2) S. xylosus (1)

ANNEX I Strategy for the selection of specific amplification primers for types i and ii MREP A. Types i and ii MREP orfX SEQ ID NO.: 2324 2358 2583                      2607  2  TAT GTCAAAAATC ATGAACCTCA TTACTTATGA  TA ... CCT TGTGCAGGCC GTTTGATCCG CC  1 TAT GTCAAAAATC ATGAACCTCA TTACTTATGA  TA ... CCT TGTGCAGGCC GTTTGATCCG CC 17^(a) TAT GTCAAAAATC ATGAACCTCA TTACTTATGA  TA ... CCT TGTGCAGGCC GTTTGATCCG CC 18^(a) TAT GTCAAAAATC ATGAACCTCA TTACTTATGA  TA ... CCT TGTGCAGGCC GTTTGATCCG CC 19^(a) TAT GTCAAAAATC ATGAACCTCA TTACTTATGA  TA ... CCT TGTGCAGGCC GTTTGATCCG CC 20^(a) TAT GTCAAAAATC ATGAACCTCA TTACTTATGA  TA ... CCT TGTGCAGGCC GTTTGATCCG CC 21^(a) TAT GTCAAAAATC ATGAACCTCA TTACTTATGA  TA ... CCT TGTGCAGGCC GTTTGATCCG CC 22^(a) TAT GTCAAAAATC ATGAACCTCA TTACTTATGA  TA ... CCT TGTGCAGGCC GTTTGATCCG CC 23^(a) TAT GTCAAAAATC ATGAACCTCA TTACTTATGA  TA ... CCT TGTGCAGGCC GTTTGATCCG CC 24^(a) TAT GTCAAAAATC ATGAACCTCA TTACTTATGA  TA ... CCT TGTGCAGGCC GTTTGATCCG CC 25^(a) TAT GTCAAAAATC ATGAACCTCA TTACTTATGA  TA ... CCT TGTGCAGGCC GTTTGATCCG CC 26 TAT GTCAAAAATC ATGAACCTCA TTACTTATGA  TA ... CCT TGTGCAGGCC GTTTGATCCG CC 33^(c)        CtT gGTGtAaaCC aTTgGAgCCa CC 34^(c)        CCT caTGCAatCC aTTTGATC Selected sequence GTCAAAAATC ATGAACCTCA TTACTTATG for type i MREP and ii primer (SEQ ID No.: 66) Selected sequence TGTGCAGGCC GTTTGATCC for orfX primer^(b) (SEQ ID NO.: 64) The sequence positions refer to SEQ ID NO.: 2. Nucleotides in capitals are identical to the selected sequences or match those sequences. Mismatches are indicated by lower-case letters. Dots indicate gaps in the displayed sequences. ^(a)These sequences are the reverse-complements of SEQ ID NOs.: 17-25. ^(b)This sequence is the reverse-complement of the selected primer. ^(c)SEQ ID NOs.: 33 and 34 were obtained from CNS species.

ANNEX II Strategy for the selection of a specific molecular beacon probe for the real-time detection of MREJ orfX SEQ ID NO.: 327   371 165 ACAAG GACGT CTTACAACGC AGTAACTAtG CACTA 180 ACAAG GACGT CTTACAACGC AGTAACTAtG CACTA 181 ACAAG GACGT CTTACAACGC AGTAACTAtG CACTA 182 ACAAG GACGT CTTACAACGC AGTAACTAtG CACTA 183 ACAAG GACGT CTTACAACGC AGTAACTAtG CACTA 184 ACAAG GACGT CTTACAACGC AGTAACTAtG CACTA 186 ACAAG GACGT CTTACAACGC AGTAACTAtG CACTA 174 ACAAG GACGT CTTACAACGt AGTAACTACG CACTA 175 ACAAG GACGT CTTACAACGt AGTAACTACG CACTA 178 ACAAG GACGT CTTACAACGt AGTAACTACG CACTA 176 ACAAG GACGT CTTACAACGt AGTAACTACG CACTA 173 ACAAG GACGT CTTACAACGt AGTAACTACG CACTA 177 ACAAG GACGT CTTACAACGt AGTAACTACG CACTA 169 ACAAG GACGT CTTACAACGC AGTAACTACG CACTA 199 ACAAG GACGT CTTACAACGC AGTAACTACG CACTA  33^(a,b) ACcAa GACGT CTTACAACGC AGcAACTAtG CttTA  34^(a,b) AtgAG GACGT CTTACAACGC AGcAACTACG CACTt Selected sequence for orfX molecular beacon probes (SEQ ID NO.: 163)^(c) GACGT CTTACAACGC AGTAACTAtG (SEQ ID NO.: 164)^(c) GACGT CTTACAACGt AGTAACTACG (SEQ ID NO.: 84)^(c) GACGT CTTACAACGC AGTAACTACG Nucleotide discrepancies between the orfX sequences and SEQ ID NO.: 84 are shown in lower-case. Other entries in the sequence listing also present similar variations. The stem of the molecular beacon probes are not shown for sake of clarity. The sequence positions refer to SEQ ID NO.: 165. ^(a)These sequences are the reverse-complements of SEQ ID NOs.: 33 and 34. ^(b)SEQ ID NOs.: 33 and 34 were obtained from CNS species. ^(c)The sequences presented are the reverse-complement of the selected molecular beacon probes. 

1. (canceled)
 2. A method to detect the presence of an MREJ type ix methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) strain nucleic acid in a sample, comprising: a) performing an amplification reaction comprising contacting a sample to be analyzed for the presence of said MREJ type ix MRSA strain nucleic acid with a first amplification primer and a second amplification primer to generate a first amplicon if said MREJ type ix MRSA strain nucleic acid is present in said sample, said MREJ type ix MRSA strain nucleic acid including a staphylococcal cassette chromosome mec (SCCmec) element containing a mecA gene inserted into chromosomal DNA, said chromosomal DNA being orfX, thereby generating a polymorphic right extremity junction (MREJ) type ix nucleic acid sequence that comprises nucleic acid sequences from both the SCCmec element right extremity and orfX adjoining said right extremity; wherein said first primer is at least 10 nucleotides in length and specifically hybridizes at least under conditions of 50 mM KCl, 10 mM Tris-HCl (pH 9.0), 0.1% Triton X-100, 2.5 mM MgCl₂ at 55° C. with an SCCmec element right extremity of an MREJ type ix nucleic acid sequence selected from the group consisting of: SEQ ID NO: 168 and the complement thereof, wherein said second primer is at least 10 nucleotides in length and specifically hybridizes at least under conditions of 50 mM KCl, 10 mM Tris-HCl (pH 9.0), 0.1% Triton X-100, 2.5 mM MgCl₂ at 55° C. with orfX, wherein said first amplicon generated if said MREJ type ix MRSA strain nucleic acid is present in said sample comprises polymorphic right extremity junction (MREJ) type ix sequence and orfX sequence, including the junction of the two, and is indicative of the presence of MREJ type ix MRSA strain nucleic acid in said sample; and b) detecting said first amplicon if present.
 3. The method of claim 2, wherein said first amplification primer that specifically hybridizes with said SCCmec element right extremity of an MREJ type ix nucleic acid sequence comprises at least 10 consecutive residues of SEQ ID NO: 109, or the complement thereof.
 4. The method of claim 3, wherein said second amplification primer comprises at least ten consecutive residues of SEQ ID NO: 64 or the complement thereof.
 5. The method of claim 2, wherein said amplification reaction comprises PCR.
 6. The method of claim 2, wherein said method comprises the use of at least one first or second amplification primer and/or a probe comprising a nucleic acid sequence or complement thereof selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NOs: 109, 148, 149, 205, 206, 64, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 70, 103, 130, 132, 158, 159, 59, 62, 32, 83, 84, 160, 161, 162, 163, and 164 for the detection of MREJ type ix nucleic acid.
 7. The method of claim 2, wherein said second and first amplification primers are a primer pair consisting of SEQ ID NOs: 64 and 109, or the complements thereof.
 8. The method of claim 7, further comprising the use of at least one probe having a nucleic acid sequence selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NOs: 32, 83, 84, 160, 161, 162, 163, 164, and the complements thereof.
 9. The method of claim 2, wherein said method comprises the use of at least one first or second amplification primer and/or a probe comprising a nucleic acid sequence or complement thereof selected from the group consisting of: SEQ ID NOs: 64, 109, 84, 163, and 164, for the detection of MREJ type ix nucleic acid.
 10. The method of claim 2, further comprising detecting the presence of at least one further methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) strain nucleic acid in said sample, said at least one further MRSA strain nucleic acid including an SCCmec element containing a mecA gene inserted into chromosomal DNA, thereby generating a polymorphic right extremity junction (MREJ) type i, ii, iii, iv, v, vi, vii or viii nucleic acid sequence that comprises nucleic acid sequences from both the SCCmec element right extremity and chromosomal DNA adjoining said right extremity, wherein said method further comprises contacting said sample with at least one additional primer to generate a second amplicon if said at least one further MREJ type i, ii, iii, iv, v, vi, vii or viii MRSA strain nucleic acid is present in said sample, wherein said at least one additional primer is at least 10 nucleotides in length and specifically hybridizes at least under conditions of 50 mM KCl, 10 mM Tris-HCl (pH 9.0), 0.1% Triton X-100, 2.5 mM MgCl₂ at 55° C. with said polymorphic nucleic acid sequences from the SCCmec element right extremity of said at least one of MREJ type i, ii, iii, iv, v, vi, vii and viii nucleic acid sequences, or complements thereof, selected from the group consisting of: a) SEQ ID NOs: 1, 20-25, and 41 for MREJ type i; b) SEQ ID NOs: 2, 17-19, 26, 40, 173-183, 185, 186 and 197 for MREJ type ii; c) SEQ ID NOs: 4-16, 104, 184 and 198 for MREJ type iii; d) SEQ ID NOs: 42-46 and 51 for MREJ type iv; e) SEQ ID NOs: 47-50 for MREJ type v; f) SEQ ID NO: 171 for MREJ type vi; g) SEQ ID NO: 165 and 166 for MREJ type vii; and h) SEQ ID NO: 167 for MREJ type viii, wherein said second amplicon generated if said at least one further MREJ type i, ii, iii, iv, v, vi, vii or viii MRSA strain nucleic acid is present in said sample comprises polymorphic right extremity junction (MREJ) type i, ii, iii, iv, v, vi, vii or viii sequence and orfX sequence, including the junction of the two, and is indicative of the presence of said at least one further MREJ type i, ii, iii, iv, v, vi, vii or viii MRSA strain nucleic acid in said sample; and detecting said second amplicon if present.
 11. The method of claim 10, wherein said at least one additional primer comprises at least one primer selected from the following SEQ ID NOs or complements thereof: 66, 100, 101, 105, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 97, 99, 106, 117, 118, 124, 125, 58, 67, 98, 102, 107, 108, 79, 77, 145, 146, 147, 65, 80, 154, 155, 202, 203, 204, 112, 113, 114, 119, 120, 121, 122, 123, 150, 151, 153, 115, 116, 187, 188, 207, and
 208. 12. The method of claim 11, further comprising use of at least one second amplification primer and/or a probe selected from the following SEQ ID NOs or complements thereof: 64, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 70, 103, 130, 132, 158, 159, 59, 62, 32, 83, 84, 160, 161, 162, 163, and
 164. 13. The method of claim 10, further comprising the use of at least one primer pair selected from the following SEQ ID NOs, or the complements thereof: a) 64/66, 64/100, 64/101, 59/52, 59/53, 59/54, 59/55, 59/56, 59/57, 60/52, 60/53, 60/54, 60/55, 60/56, 60/57, 61/52, 61/53, 61/54, 61/55, 61/56, 61/57, 62/52, 62/53, 62/54, 62/55, 62/56, 62/57, 63/52, 63/53, 63/54, 63/55, 63/56 and 63/57, for the detection of type i MREJ nucleic acid; b) 64/66, 64/97, 64/99, 64/100, 64/101, 59/52, 59/53, 59/54, 59/55, 59/56, 59/57, 60/52, 60/53, 60/54, 60/55, 60/56, 60/57, 61/52, 61/53, 61/54, 61/55, 61/56, 61/57, 62/52, 62/53, 62/54, 62/55, 62/56, 62/57, 63/52, 63/53, 63/54, 63/55, 63/56 and 63/57, for the detection of type ii MREJ nucleic acid; c) 64/67, 64/98, 64/102, 59/58, 60/58, 61/58, 62/58 and 63/58, for the detection of type iii MREJ nucleic acid; d) 64/79, for the detection of type iv MREJ nucleic acid; e) 64/80, for the detection of type v MREJ nucleic acid; f) 64/204, for the detection of type vi MREJ nucleic acid; g) 64/112 and 64/113, for the detection of type vii MREJ nucleic acid; h) 64/115 and 64/116, for the detection of type viii MREJ nucleic acid.
 14. The method of claim 13, comprising the use of at least one probe having a nucleic acid sequence, or the complement thereof, selected from the group consisting of: SEQ ID NOs: 32, 83, 84, 160, 161, 162, 163 and
 164. 15. The method of claim 10, comprising the use of primers and probes having the following nucleic acid sequences, or the complements thereof: a) SEQ ID NOs: 64, 66, and at least one of 84, 163, 164 for the detection of MREJ type i or ii nucleic acid; b) SEQ ID NOs: 64, 67, and at least one of 84, 163, 164 for the detection of MREJ type iii nucleic acid; and c) SEQ ID NOs: 64, 79, and at least one of 84, 163, 164 for the detection of MREJ type iv nucleic acid.
 16. The method of claim 10, wherein multiple primers and/or probes are used together in the same physical enclosure.
 17. The method of claim 10, further comprising distinctively detecting said first amplicon as an indication of the presence of said MREJ type ix nucleic acid and said second amplicon if present as an indication of said at least one further MREJ type nucleic acid selected from MREJ types i, ii, iii, iv, v, vi, vii and viii, wherein the presence or absence of said second amplicon produced by a primer is indicative of the presence or absence, respectively, of the corresponding MREJ type i, ii, iii, iv, v, vi, vii or viii MRSA nucleic acid.
 18. The method of claim 10, wherein a plurality of primers and/or probes all chosen to hybridize under the same hybridization conditions are used.
 19. The method of claim 2, comprising detecting the presence or absence of at least three further MRSA strain nucleic acids in said sample, said at least three further MRSA strain nucleic acids including an SCCmec element containing a mecA gene inserted into chromosomal DNA, thereby generating a polymorphic right extremity junction (MREJ) type i, ii, iii, iv, v, vi, vii or viii nucleic acid sequence that comprises nucleic acid sequences from both the SCCmec element right extremity and chromosomal DNA adjoining said right extremity, wherein said method further comprises contacting said sample with at least three additional primers to generate a second, third or fourth amplicon if said at least three further MREJ type i, ii, iii, iv, v, vi, vii or viii MRSA strain nucleic acids are present in said sample, wherein said at least three additional primers are at least 10 nucleotides in length and each specifically hybridizes under conditions of 50 mM KCl, 10 mM Tris-HCl (pH 9.0), 0.1% Triton X-100, 2.5 mM MgCl₂ at 55° C. with said polymorphic nucleic acid sequences from the SCCmec element right extremity of one of said at least three further MRSA strains of MREJ type i-vi, and viii-ix nucleic acid sequences, or complements thereof, selected from the group consisting of: a) SEQ ID NOs: 1, 20-25, and 41 for MREJ type i; b) SEQ ID NOs: 2, 17-19, 26, 40, 173-183, 185, 186 and 197 for MREJ type ii; c) SEQ ID NOs: 4-16, 104, 184 and 198 for MREJ type iii; d) SEQ ID NOs: 42-46 and 51 for MREJ type iv; e) SEQ ID NOs: 47-50 for MREJ type v; f) SEQ ID NO: 171 for MREJ type vi; g) SEQ ID NO: 165 and 166 for MREJ type vii; and h) SEQ ID NO: 167 for MREJ type viii, wherein said second, third and fourth amplicon generated if said at least three further MREJ type i, ii, iii, iv, v, vi, vii or viii MRSA strain nucleic acids are present in said sample comprises polymorphic right extremity junction (MREJ) type i, ii, iii, iv, v, vi, vii or viii nucleic acid sequence and orfX sequence, including the junction of the two, and said second, third and fourth amplicons are indicative of the presence of said at least three further MREJ type i, ii, iii, iv, v, vi, vii or viii MRSA strain nucleic acids in said sample; and detecting the presence or absence of each second, third and/or fourth amplicon distinctively, wherein the presence or absence of each second, third and/or fourth amplicon produced by a primer is indicative of the presence or absence, respectively, of the corresponding one of said three further MREJ type MRSA nucleic acids, thereby determining the presence or absence in a sample of at least three further MREJ types of MRSA nucleic acids.
 20. The method of claim 19, for further determining the presence or absence of MREJ type i, type ii, and type iii nucleic acids.
 21. The method of claim 19, for further determining the presence or absence of MREJ type i, type ii, type iii and type iv nucleic acids.
 22. The method of claim 19, for further determining the presence or absence of MREJ type i, type ii, type iii, type iv, type v, type vi, type vii, and type viii nucleic acids.
 23. The method of claim 2, wherein said method comprises the use of at least one second amplification primer and/or a probe specific for the S. aureus chromosome comprising a nucleic acid sequence, or the complement thereof, selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NOs: 32, 59, 62, 70-76, 83, 84, 103, 130, 132, and 160-164.
 24. The method of claim 10, wherein multiplex PCR is used.
 25. The method of claim 2, comprising the use of at least one probe having a nucleic acid sequence, or the complement thereof, selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NOs: 84, 163 and
 164. 26. The method of claim 2, wherein said method comprises the use of at least one first amplification primer comprising a nucleic acid sequence or complement thereof selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NOs: 109, 148, 149, 205 and 206, for the detection of MREJ type ix nucleic acid.
 27. The method of claim 26, wherein said method further comprises the use of at least one second amplification primer and/or probe comprising a nucleic acid sequence or complement thereof selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NOs: 64, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 70, 103, 130, 132, 158, 159, 59, 62, 32, 83, 84, 160, 161, 162, 163, and
 164. 28. A nucleic acid comprising a nucleic acid sequence selected from SEQ ID NOs: 42-46 and
 51. 